ABC Radio Australia
The Thai MP arrested for illegally entering Cambodia last month says video footage appearing to show he was aware he'd illegally crossed the border was edited to be misleading.
The Thai MP arrested for illegally entering Cambodia last month says video footage appearing to show he was aware he'd illegally crossed the border was edited to be misleading.
AUDIO from Connect Asia
Panich Vikitsreth maintains innocence over border crossing
Panich Vikitsreth is a member of a joint Thai-Cambodian border committee.
He says he was investigating claims Cambodians had encroached onto Thai territory when he was detained.
Six of the seven arrested Thais have been released on bail, but one's still in a Cambodian jail facing espionage charges.
Video footage posted online appeared to show Mr Panich telling the Thai Prime Minister's office he was crossing into Cambodia, but he says the video is misleading.
"But what surprised me most is that the whole footage of 23 minutes, they mix the sequence too. The sequence were wrong. They start off half way, then it came back to the beginning and then it went to the later part of our trip."
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Arrested Thai MP maintains innocence over border dispute
Ron Corben, Bangkok
ABC Radio Australia
A Thai parliamentarian charged with illegal entry into Cambodia, believes he is innocent and was in Thai territory at the time.
Panich Vikitsreth was one of seven Thais detained by Cambodian border guards on December 29, when they say they were investigating claims of Cambodian land encroachment.
The arrest, jail and court hearings have tested Thai-Cambodian relations, already strained by a dispute over claims surrounding the 900 year old Preah Vihear temple.
Panich, who spent 16 days in jail, has told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program he remains convinced he is innocent and had not crossed beyond the disputed area into Cambodian territory.
"I always believed that I'm somewhere in Thailand, actually somewhere close to the border area, and where there is a disputed area, but I didn't expect that I was in another country," he said.
"I still believe today that I'm not in another country. But it's an area where of course there are disputes."
Critical local media comment followed the group's initial arrest, and this was exacerbated when You Tube footage purported to show the group crossing into Cambodia.
In footage based on the group's cameras Panich is seen walking towards Cambodia talking on a mobile phone for his secretary to inform Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of their whereabouts.
Panich claims the footage has been doctored and re-edited.
"What surprised me most is that the whole footage of 23 minutes they mix the sequence," he said.
"The sequence was wrong. I don't know how you want to put it but the sequence was wrong. It started off half way and then it came back to the beginning and then it went to the later part of our trip."
A joint boundary commission or JBC between Thailand and Cambodia works under a 2000 memorandum of understanding to establish the location of the border between the two countries.
But the Thai Patriot Network protesting in Bangkok wants the government to annul the MOU and reclaim the land, even by use of force.
Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in 2008 and 2009 over cross border claims that resulted in casualties.
Panich says he wants to see greater diplomatic efforts to clarify the Thai - Cambodian border.
"Definitely what we want to see is no use of force - no use of military confrontation," he said.
"The best is to settle it on the table and to get this boundary across nearly 800 kilometres sorted out. So this is now in the process of this JBC which is going on right now."
He says he was investigating claims Cambodians had encroached onto Thai territory when he was detained.
Six of the seven arrested Thais have been released on bail, but one's still in a Cambodian jail facing espionage charges.
Video footage posted online appeared to show Mr Panich telling the Thai Prime Minister's office he was crossing into Cambodia, but he says the video is misleading.
"But what surprised me most is that the whole footage of 23 minutes, they mix the sequence too. The sequence were wrong. They start off half way, then it came back to the beginning and then it went to the later part of our trip."
--------------------------------
Arrested Thai MP maintains innocence over border dispute
Ron Corben, Bangkok
ABC Radio Australia
A Thai parliamentarian charged with illegal entry into Cambodia, believes he is innocent and was in Thai territory at the time.
Panich Vikitsreth was one of seven Thais detained by Cambodian border guards on December 29, when they say they were investigating claims of Cambodian land encroachment.
The arrest, jail and court hearings have tested Thai-Cambodian relations, already strained by a dispute over claims surrounding the 900 year old Preah Vihear temple.
Panich, who spent 16 days in jail, has told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program he remains convinced he is innocent and had not crossed beyond the disputed area into Cambodian territory.
"I always believed that I'm somewhere in Thailand, actually somewhere close to the border area, and where there is a disputed area, but I didn't expect that I was in another country," he said.
"I still believe today that I'm not in another country. But it's an area where of course there are disputes."
Critical local media comment followed the group's initial arrest, and this was exacerbated when You Tube footage purported to show the group crossing into Cambodia.
In footage based on the group's cameras Panich is seen walking towards Cambodia talking on a mobile phone for his secretary to inform Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of their whereabouts.
Panich claims the footage has been doctored and re-edited.
"What surprised me most is that the whole footage of 23 minutes they mix the sequence," he said.
"The sequence was wrong. I don't know how you want to put it but the sequence was wrong. It started off half way and then it came back to the beginning and then it went to the later part of our trip."
A joint boundary commission or JBC between Thailand and Cambodia works under a 2000 memorandum of understanding to establish the location of the border between the two countries.
But the Thai Patriot Network protesting in Bangkok wants the government to annul the MOU and reclaim the land, even by use of force.
Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in 2008 and 2009 over cross border claims that resulted in casualties.
Panich says he wants to see greater diplomatic efforts to clarify the Thai - Cambodian border.
"Definitely what we want to see is no use of force - no use of military confrontation," he said.
"The best is to settle it on the table and to get this boundary across nearly 800 kilometres sorted out. So this is now in the process of this JBC which is going on right now."
4 comments:
Now, it is just obvious, what else can he says or have to say. There is absolutely nothing else that he can think off.
It doesn't matter how much efforts he wants to put out there to the Thai people and to the world and to the Cambodian to redeem himself of his innocent, it is not going to cut it.
So, Mr. Panich, accept your mistake and the verdict of the Cambodian Court, and be appreciative to the Cambodian Government that they let you go, without locking you up for nine months. It's OK, be a real man, and a real leader of your people, stop whining....
The video and the photos showed them walking very relaxed inside a Khmer village, posing for souvenir photos. Also, in the video we can see that the Khmer soldiers have stopped them inside a village. So it meant the Thais were well within inside the Khmer territory.
This creep wasnt talking like that when he was apprehended by Khmer soldiers and when he was in our court custody. All Siems are thieves and liars.
YES ALL CRIMINALS SIAM ARE LIKE THAT AFTER THEY GET CAUGHT. THAT'S THEIR COMMON DEFENCE. THEIR INFAMOUS DEFENCE WORD WAS MISUNDERSTANDING AFTER THEY COMMITTED A CRIME. fUCKING FAGGOT THAI.
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