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BANGKOK, July 5 (MCOT)- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Monday said Cambodia's move to send bomb suspects to Thailand is a good start to restoration of bilateral ties which deteriorated after last year's diplomatic spat between the two kingdoms.
The Thai premier commented as Thailand downgraded its diplomatic ties with Cambodia since November 2009 after the formal appointment of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic advisor to the Cambodian government and personal advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Both countries have recalled their ambassadors, while Thailand also revoked a memorandum of understanding over overlapping maritime boundaries by Thailand and Cambodia signed in 2001.
Mr Abhisit expressed appreciation with Cambodia's handing of the suspects in last month's Bhumjaithai party office bombing.
"For sending the bomb suspects, I must say 'thank you' for the cooperation of the Cambodian authorities," said Mr Abhisit. "We will seek further cooperation from them in case there are still Thai suspects seeking shelter there, including fugitive ex-premier Thaksin."
The Thai prime minister said his government will seek extradition of the deposed premier if he is found entering Cambodian soil.
Thai police Monday morning took custody of two suspects in the hiring of persons to carry out a planned bombing in Bhumjaithai party headquarters, Warisriya Boonsom and Korbchai Boonplod, to bring them back to Bangkok.
A bomb built into a fruit-vendor's cart was remotely detonated near the Bhumjaithai party offices on June 22, seriously wounding Anek Singkhuntod. He allegedly admitted that he was hired to leave a rambutan pushcart near the party office.
Two more men were arrested few days later while the two suspects returned from Phnom Penh today reportedly fled to Cambodia on June 23.
The Cambodian authorities arrested them in Siam Reap and turned them over to the Thai embassy early Monday to hand them on to the team of Assistant Police Chief Pol Lt-Gen Aswin Kwanmuang at the airport.
The suspects told Thai police as they arrived in Bangkok that they were not involved with the bombing but conceded they know the three men who were earlier arrested.
Mrs Warisriya said she gave shelter to the suspects but did not know that they made explosive devices at her house, saying that she was betrayed.
She refused however to disclose who cheated her, telling police to solve the case and to find who betrayed her themselves.
Gen Aswin said on his arrival in Bangkok that the two detainees are not scapegoats and the arrest is not a setup, saying he believes there will be further investigation leading to the mastermind of the bombing.
Although the two accused denied their involvement with the case, Gen Aswin revealed Mrs Warisriya told him she was nabbed by Cambodian police after leaving her hotel room to meet Key Red Shirt leader Payap Pankate and DJ Aom or Kanyapak Maneechak, a leader of pro red shirt Chiang Mai 51 group, as told by a hotel employee.
Mrs Warisriya conceded she escaped to Cambodia as she has told other accused to meet at the Cambodian hotel after their mission is complete, said Gen Aswin. However they failed to achieve the plan.
The two suspects were later sent to the Department of the Special Investigation (DSI) for further investigation and their three mobile phones were seized.
The DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said they will be charged with association with producing and possessing an explosive device and terrorism.
Mr Tharit said bail is given at the discretion of the court, but he believed it would not grant bail to the pair after they fled the kingdom. (MCOT online news)
1 comment:
What sort of move ah Hun have done?
Thai troops are still occupying 4.6 Km2 Khmer land.
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