BANGKOK, Oct 12 (MCOT)- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (pictured) will query his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on reports of arms training for hard-core anti-government Red Shirt activists on Cambodian soil when both leaders meet at a regional summit later this month, according to acting Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn.
Speaking Tuesday, Dr Panitan commented shortly after Secretary-General Tawin Pleansri of Thailand's National Security Council (NSC) confirmed information from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) which said that 11 men arrested in a raid on a resort in the northern province of Chiang Mai and suspected of planning acts of terror claimed that they and 28 others underwent weapons training in Cambodia.
Mr Tawin confirmed that Thai security-related agencies are watching the Red Shirt movement for signs of further weapons training.
The DSI established the facts obtained during its investigation, Mr Tawin said, but they must be further verified before taking any legal action.
"The verification of the report is underway, and some [other] agencies confirmed similar information," said Dr Panitan.
Cambodia dismissed the allegations and accused the Thai authorities as having fabricated the report, Dr Panitan said the Abhisit government is awaiting the result of further investigation, while expressing confidence that the issue will not worsen the relationship between the two neighbouring countries, as their leaders and senior officials have good understanding.
"The prime minister will seek clarification on the case when he attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit scheduled to be held in Vietnam at the end of this month," said the government spokesman.
Pol Lt Col Payao Thongsen, chief of DSI investigators probing terrorism charge-related activities, on Monday said that 39 Thai men have been trained for arms use in Cambodia for a mission to assassinate key Thai public figures including the prime minister, according to the confession of 11 men detained in Chiang Mai.
Col Payao said the 11 suspects confessed to being members of the anti-government movement, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), and that they were 11 among the 39 men who were recruited and taken by Red Shirt leaders to Cambodia without passing legal immigration processes for three-week arms training in a Cambodian army camp.
Cambodian authorities denied accusations immediately after the report of its involvement.
"Why would we need to do this? Cambodia would receive absolutely no benefit from training these people,'' the Associated Press quoted Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith as saying on Tuesday.
"Cambodia strongly rejects these allegations,'' he said. (MCOT online news)
Speaking Tuesday, Dr Panitan commented shortly after Secretary-General Tawin Pleansri of Thailand's National Security Council (NSC) confirmed information from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) which said that 11 men arrested in a raid on a resort in the northern province of Chiang Mai and suspected of planning acts of terror claimed that they and 28 others underwent weapons training in Cambodia.
Mr Tawin confirmed that Thai security-related agencies are watching the Red Shirt movement for signs of further weapons training.
The DSI established the facts obtained during its investigation, Mr Tawin said, but they must be further verified before taking any legal action.
"The verification of the report is underway, and some [other] agencies confirmed similar information," said Dr Panitan.
Cambodia dismissed the allegations and accused the Thai authorities as having fabricated the report, Dr Panitan said the Abhisit government is awaiting the result of further investigation, while expressing confidence that the issue will not worsen the relationship between the two neighbouring countries, as their leaders and senior officials have good understanding.
"The prime minister will seek clarification on the case when he attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit scheduled to be held in Vietnam at the end of this month," said the government spokesman.
Pol Lt Col Payao Thongsen, chief of DSI investigators probing terrorism charge-related activities, on Monday said that 39 Thai men have been trained for arms use in Cambodia for a mission to assassinate key Thai public figures including the prime minister, according to the confession of 11 men detained in Chiang Mai.
Col Payao said the 11 suspects confessed to being members of the anti-government movement, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), and that they were 11 among the 39 men who were recruited and taken by Red Shirt leaders to Cambodia without passing legal immigration processes for three-week arms training in a Cambodian army camp.
Cambodian authorities denied accusations immediately after the report of its involvement.
"Why would we need to do this? Cambodia would receive absolutely no benefit from training these people,'' the Associated Press quoted Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith as saying on Tuesday.
"Cambodia strongly rejects these allegations,'' he said. (MCOT online news)
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