Cambodia grants bail to Thai lawmaker

Thai Democrat Party lawmaker Panich Vikitsreth (R) and another activist walk at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 6. Panich, who was among seven Thais charged with illegally entering Cambodia, has been granted bail along with one other member of the group, their lawyer said Thursday. (AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)

– Thu Jan 13,
PHNOM PENH (AFP) – A Thai ruling party politician who was among seven Thais charged with illegally entering Cambodia has been granted bail along with one other member of the group, their lawyer said Thursday.
Panich Vikitsreth of the Democrat Party and Narumol Jitrawarattana, described as a female vendor, are now staying at the Thai embassy in the Cambodian capital as they await their trial for which a date has yet to be set.
"We asked the court to release the seven Thai people, but the court only allowed two to be released on bail," Ros Aun, a Cambodian attorney for the group, told AFP. Each paid a bail of one million riel ($250).
The other five Thai nationals are still being held at a Phnom Penh prison, Ros Aun added, and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his government would continue to push for their release from jail.
The group was arrested on December 29 on charges of illegal entry and trespassing on a military area, which carry a maximum combined sentence of 18 months in prison.
The case has strained diplomatic ties between the neighbouring countries, long at odds over their border.
Panich told the court last week that he had crossed the disputed border by accident.
"He said he came (to the border area) because Thai people claimed it is their land. He said he was walking without knowing that he was entering Cambodian territory and was captured by the authorities," Ros Aun said.
Two of the seven Thais, Veera Somkwamkid -- a former leader of the nationalist "Yellow Shirt" movement -- and his secretary, were slapped with an additional charge of gathering information that could affect national defence, a serious offence punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
Thai officials have acknowledged that the seven were on Cambodian territory when arrested.
Despite appeals from Thailand, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has refused to intervene in the case, saying the matter was in the hands of the court.
The Thailand-Cambodia border is not fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.
The current crisis threatens to reverse a recent thaw in relations between Hun Sen and Abhisit following a series of meetings on the sidelines of international and regional summits late last year.