Suthep: Thaksin barrier to renewed ties

14/12/2009
Bangkok Post

There will be no progress toward restoring Thai-Cambodian ties if Cambodia refuses to extradite fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Monday.

"I'm deeply concerned if Cambodia refuses to extradite Thaksin, because I don't how to continue relations between the two countries," Mr Suthep said.

He said it was the government's duty to bring Thaksin back to the country since he was a fugitive and still engaged in political activities. The Foreign Ministry had done its best to deal with the ousted premier.

Asked about the release of convicted Thai spy Sivarak Chutipong in Phnom Penh and the opposition's plan to raise this case in the expected no-confidence motion against the government, Mr Suthep said he was not surprised and believed Mr Sivarak's case was politically motivated.

Mr Sivarak, a 31-year-old employee at the Thai-owned Cambodia Air Traffic Services, was arrested in Cambodia last month for passing on Thaksin's flight information to a Thai diplomat. He was sentenced to seven years in jail last week but received a royal pardon from the Cambodian king on Friday. He was set free today.