Bangkok Post
The Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters on Saturday rejected a Cambodian news report that one of its security staff was arrested on spying charges.
A Cambodian newspaper reported that an officer identified as Manit from the Armed Forces Security Centre, an intelligence unit, was arrested at City Angkor, a hotel in Siem Reap where former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was staying.
Sitthichai Makkunchorn, the Supreme Command's spokesman, said the Cambodian press was misinformed and its coverage blemished the agency's reputation.
"There is no staff member [in the unit] by the name of Manit as reported by them [Cambodia's media]. A surname should have been given to make an investigation easy," he said.
Col Sitthichai said that disinformation was being used in the wake of rising tensions between Thailand and Cambodia. The report came in the wake of the arrest of Siwarak Chotphong, a Thai engineer with Cambodia Air Traffic Services, in Phnom Penh on spying charges. Mr Siwarak was accused of giving Thaksin's flight schedule to the Thai embassy's first secretary, Kamrob Palawatwichai, who was expelled by Cambodia on Thursday.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in Singapore: "I am surprised about Cambodia's move." He said a flight schedule is not secret information.
"It's just normal information which has been disclosed," added Mr Abhisit.
Thani Thongphakdi, deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry's department of information, said the ministry had forwarded a letter to ask for permission from Cambodian authorities to visit Mr Siwarak in prison.
Mr Thani said that as of yesterday, there was no reply from Cambodia, noting that it was the weekend and no officials were working.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the government had no need to seek Thaksin's flights schedule as it had been aware of the flight plan before his private jet landed in Cambodia on Tuesday. He said the jet, which was a chartered flight, had asked the Aviation Department for permission to fly over Thai airspace.
It was allowed to enter Thai airspace because it did not declare who was aboard. He said that after learning Thaksin was aboard, he had instructed authorities to deny permission to pass through Thai airspace on his return flight.
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