Hun Sen’s Political Pawn
Dec 13, 2009 Op-Ed by Khmerization
Saturday 12th December, 2009
“The arrest and the release of Siwarak Chotipong is Mr. Hun Sen’s political and diplomatic game, set up to canvass political supports back home and to use as a diplomatic weapon to fight against the Thai Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva.”
The Thai spy’s case, the arrest and the release of Mr. Siwarak Chotipong, has been played out like a soap opera on prime time television. In fact, it is a drama with the script written by Mr. Hun Sen and the soap opera being directed by Mr. Hun Sen alone and the hero being the Pheu Thai Party of Thailand which is claiming credit for his release for its domestic political consumption to satisfy its Thai electoral constituents back home. And the victims of all this political game are Siwarak Chotipong and his poor mother who has to endure the pain and the suffering of seeing her son being handcuffed, incarcerated and used as a political pawn.
The arrest and the release of Siwarak Chotipong is Mr. Hun Sen’s political and diplomatic game, set up to canvass political supports back home and to use as a diplomatic weapon to fight against the Thai Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva who has vowed to punish Mr. Hun Sen’s government for appointing fugitive ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic advisor.
Mr. Hun Sen’s political and diplomatic childishness has cost Cambodia dearly, both in term of financial costs- the costs of protecting and housing Mr. Thaksin and the cost of jailing and court proceedings against Siwarak- and the deepening diplomatic problems with Thailand which will eventually cause further delays in future border negotiations between the two countries.
Mr. Hun Sen’s political game has ruined the life of an innocent man and ruined the political chances of another man- his eternal friend Thaksin Shinawatra. While his political manoeuvres seemed to have aimed at helping to revive the political comeback of his eternal friend, Mr. Hun Sen’s real motives for all the political drama in the last two months were aimed at the political assassination of Mr. Abhisit. Sadly, both Mr. Hun Sen’s goals had the opposite political effect and failed miserably. First, Mr. Thaksin’s political fortunes had suffered irreparably after he toyed with Mr. Hun Sen’s game by visiting Cambodia in mid November which upset many of his supporters. Secondly, not only that Mr. Abhisit had not been assassinated politically, he has thrived politically from Mr. Hun Sen’s political theatre. While Mr. Thaksin’s popularity had plunged abysmally, Mr. Abhisit’s popularity, on the contrary, had skyrocketed.
While many Cambodians would welcome the release of Mr. Siwarak Chotipong, due to enormous helps from Mr. Hun Sen, many more Cambodians would resent the fact that Mr. Hun Sen did not make good efforts to help release many Cambodians who were incarcerated in Thai prisons for forgivable crimes such as crossing the borders illegally. It would be very humanitarian of Mr. Hun Sen to work with the Thai authority to release the 16 Cambodian prisoners imprisoned in Chonburi province for allegedly logging illegally in Thai territories a few months ago. Many more Khmer migrant workers had been killed by Thai soldiers every months in the border areas. With the efforts and the resources he had put into working for the release of the alleged Thai spy Siwarak Chotipong, many Cambodians would have expected Mr. Hun Sen to put the same efforts and resources, if not more, to help working for the release of many, it not all, Khmer prisoners in Thailand.
The latest news coming out of Cambodia is that, on Monday Mr. Hun Sen will hold a big ceremony to transfer Mr. Siwarak Chotipong into the care of his mother and Pheu Thai Party President Chavalit Yongchaiyudh- another political exercise with enormous costs to the Cambodian state coffers.
Mr. Siwarak is a simple and ordinary prisoner and the fanfare and extravagant honour accorded to him can only be described as a political drama played out by Mr. Hun Sen for his domestic political consumption and to help reviving the political chances of the Pheu Thai Party. And this is not in the best interests of Cambodia.
“The arrest and the release of Siwarak Chotipong is Mr. Hun Sen’s political and diplomatic game, set up to canvass political supports back home and to use as a diplomatic weapon to fight against the Thai Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva.”
The Thai spy’s case, the arrest and the release of Mr. Siwarak Chotipong, has been played out like a soap opera on prime time television. In fact, it is a drama with the script written by Mr. Hun Sen and the soap opera being directed by Mr. Hun Sen alone and the hero being the Pheu Thai Party of Thailand which is claiming credit for his release for its domestic political consumption to satisfy its Thai electoral constituents back home. And the victims of all this political game are Siwarak Chotipong and his poor mother who has to endure the pain and the suffering of seeing her son being handcuffed, incarcerated and used as a political pawn.
The arrest and the release of Siwarak Chotipong is Mr. Hun Sen’s political and diplomatic game, set up to canvass political supports back home and to use as a diplomatic weapon to fight against the Thai Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva who has vowed to punish Mr. Hun Sen’s government for appointing fugitive ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic advisor.
Mr. Hun Sen’s political and diplomatic childishness has cost Cambodia dearly, both in term of financial costs- the costs of protecting and housing Mr. Thaksin and the cost of jailing and court proceedings against Siwarak- and the deepening diplomatic problems with Thailand which will eventually cause further delays in future border negotiations between the two countries.
Mr. Hun Sen’s political game has ruined the life of an innocent man and ruined the political chances of another man- his eternal friend Thaksin Shinawatra. While his political manoeuvres seemed to have aimed at helping to revive the political comeback of his eternal friend, Mr. Hun Sen’s real motives for all the political drama in the last two months were aimed at the political assassination of Mr. Abhisit. Sadly, both Mr. Hun Sen’s goals had the opposite political effect and failed miserably. First, Mr. Thaksin’s political fortunes had suffered irreparably after he toyed with Mr. Hun Sen’s game by visiting Cambodia in mid November which upset many of his supporters. Secondly, not only that Mr. Abhisit had not been assassinated politically, he has thrived politically from Mr. Hun Sen’s political theatre. While Mr. Thaksin’s popularity had plunged abysmally, Mr. Abhisit’s popularity, on the contrary, had skyrocketed.
While many Cambodians would welcome the release of Mr. Siwarak Chotipong, due to enormous helps from Mr. Hun Sen, many more Cambodians would resent the fact that Mr. Hun Sen did not make good efforts to help release many Cambodians who were incarcerated in Thai prisons for forgivable crimes such as crossing the borders illegally. It would be very humanitarian of Mr. Hun Sen to work with the Thai authority to release the 16 Cambodian prisoners imprisoned in Chonburi province for allegedly logging illegally in Thai territories a few months ago. Many more Khmer migrant workers had been killed by Thai soldiers every months in the border areas. With the efforts and the resources he had put into working for the release of the alleged Thai spy Siwarak Chotipong, many Cambodians would have expected Mr. Hun Sen to put the same efforts and resources, if not more, to help working for the release of many, it not all, Khmer prisoners in Thailand.
The latest news coming out of Cambodia is that, on Monday Mr. Hun Sen will hold a big ceremony to transfer Mr. Siwarak Chotipong into the care of his mother and Pheu Thai Party President Chavalit Yongchaiyudh- another political exercise with enormous costs to the Cambodian state coffers.
Mr. Siwarak is a simple and ordinary prisoner and the fanfare and extravagant honour accorded to him can only be described as a political drama played out by Mr. Hun Sen for his domestic political consumption and to help reviving the political chances of the Pheu Thai Party. And this is not in the best interests of Cambodia.
Freed Thai engineer to meet ex-premier Thaksin before release in Cambodia
![[Hun+Sen+and+Thaksin+(TVK).jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCSVYe9XjHRicGWaSgP6byFVDGm3JJpvuFpC6A9i0xZt4j6a2AtUkgh7Hrq-EEASBrpQDeE3-a9nME2cWeWi64rGOIWkgsgKOS_MEuXBeBQCY4U6YWKVXmZUaSCJ0U8Zh9_c-jCBxD-kN/s1600/Hun+Sen+and+Thaksin+(TVK).jpg)
BANGKOK, Dec 13 (TNA) -- Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering whether to again request the Cambodian government to detain and then extradite fugitive, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra if he visits Phnom Penh on Monday, Panithan Watanayakorn, deputy secretary-general to Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday.
Dr Panithan said the ministry had already received information that Mr Thaksin plans to visit Cambodia again and if the information is correct, it may ask the Khmer government to detain and extradite him to Thailand.
However, the planned request would not affect Cambodia’s decision to release Siwarak Chutipong, the Thai employee who was tried and convicted of passing Mr Thaksin’s travel information to a Thai consular official and who will be freed on Monday, Dr Panitan said.
Mr Siwarak was taken into custody on November 12 and was later sentenced to seven years jail term and fined Bt100,000 (US$3,000) for releasing the flight details of Mr Thaksin when the ex-Thai premier visited Phnom Penh last month on his first trip there after being appointed economic adviser to the Cambodian government.
Mr Siwarak's release came after Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni granted a royal pardon to him last Friday.
Prior to Mr Thaksin’s visit to Cambodia last month, the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry had also requested Cambodia to help arrest and extradite him, but the request was rejected by the Cambodian government which said that charges against the ousted premier was a political offence and not a crime in that country.
Meanwhile, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith confirmed that Mr Thaksin would arrive in Phnom Penh on Sunday and meet Mr Siwarak before the detainee leaves for Bangkok on Monday.
Mr Thaksin will stay in Cambodia for a time and will speak on the economy during his stay in Cambodia, said Mr Kanharith.
Thai-Cambodian ties no closer to being restored
13-12-2009
Editorial Desk
The Nation (Thailand)
Has the tension eased between Thailand and Cambodia? Yes. Is the diplomatic row between the neighbouring countries nearer to a solution? Probably not. Cambodia's royal pardon, granted to the convicted Thai "spy" so swiftly after a Phnom Penh court sentenced him to seven years in prison, seemed as politically motivated as the man's arrest itself, and it has left both countries' volatile relationship as unpredictable as ever.
The pardon was given by the person least visible and audible in the diplomatic uproar. King Norodom Sihamoni has been a distant watcher at best, as Bangkok and Phnom Penh brought their stormy ties to near breaking point with one controversial retribution after another. Yet it took him less than 24 hours to decide that a man found guilty of endangering Cambodia's national security can immediately walk free. We don't know how the pardon-seeking process works in Cambodia, but in most other countries it should involve committees, opinions from people who matter and a lot of consultations.
However, the amazingly prompt process can only be good for the convict and his family. Thai engineer Sivarak Chutipong was simply someone caught in the middle of a very intricate diplomatic and political rivalry. He has been quickly released, despite being made to look like one of Cambodia's biggest security threats, because nobody wins if he had to stay on in jail.
His ordeal has embarrassed the Abhisit Vejjajiva government and also put new dents in Thaksin Shinawatra's ebbing popularity. It's debatable who should bear the bigger blame for his plight, but both sides played big parts in events leading to his arrest. Thaksin's decisions to take up Cambodia's appointment as an economic adviser and come to Cambodia following an invitation that he could have easily declined made the Bangkok government curious about his movements - and the rest is history.
Thaksin's situation was then further complicated by the revelation that Sivarak's mother was a sympathiser of the red shirts (a group supporting ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra). A Thai citizen ending up in jail because of him was politically bad enough, so the red-shirted connection meant that he could not stand idly by and watch him wither in a Cambodian cell. Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party's scrambling to spearhead the pardon campaign was not as much of a ploy to discredit the Democrats as an effort to help Thaksin bounce back from the setback.
The Democrats' situation wasn't better. Despite the government's denial that Sivarak was snooping for Thaksin's travel data following a request from the foreign ministry, few believed the man was acting on his own. It didn't matter whether the information the man obtained was highly classified or not. Politics is about perception, and if the government was perceived to be responsible for Sivarak's arrest and the heavy penalty, that would be very difficult to change. So, whether the credit goes to Thaksin, or Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, or the Pheu Thai Party, now that Sivarak has been pardoned, the Democrats should feel relieved.
The Phnom Penh government, meanwhile, had nothing to gain from Sivarak languishing in its jail. And like Thaksin, Prime Minister Hun Sen saw his own situation compromised by the red-shirted connection of Sivarak's mother. The Thai man could not be acquitted, since that would have made a mockery of his arrest, but Hun Sen's ties with Thaksin and the need to prevent the badly cracked relationship with Bangkok from being completely shattered, dictated that the convict had better be freed.
So, it seemed like a ceasefire on the surface, but perhaps Sivarak has been pardoned so the warring parties could move down their collision course without an unpredictable political baggage that was helping nobody. What lies ahead for Thai-Cambodian relations still depends on the very same factors that got Sivarak into trouble in the first place. And it will take something bigger and more significant than the world-record speedy pardon to bring everything back to normal.
read more “Thai-Cambodian ties no closer to being restored”
Editorial Desk
The Nation (Thailand)
Has the tension eased between Thailand and Cambodia? Yes. Is the diplomatic row between the neighbouring countries nearer to a solution? Probably not. Cambodia's royal pardon, granted to the convicted Thai "spy" so swiftly after a Phnom Penh court sentenced him to seven years in prison, seemed as politically motivated as the man's arrest itself, and it has left both countries' volatile relationship as unpredictable as ever.
The pardon was given by the person least visible and audible in the diplomatic uproar. King Norodom Sihamoni has been a distant watcher at best, as Bangkok and Phnom Penh brought their stormy ties to near breaking point with one controversial retribution after another. Yet it took him less than 24 hours to decide that a man found guilty of endangering Cambodia's national security can immediately walk free. We don't know how the pardon-seeking process works in Cambodia, but in most other countries it should involve committees, opinions from people who matter and a lot of consultations.
However, the amazingly prompt process can only be good for the convict and his family. Thai engineer Sivarak Chutipong was simply someone caught in the middle of a very intricate diplomatic and political rivalry. He has been quickly released, despite being made to look like one of Cambodia's biggest security threats, because nobody wins if he had to stay on in jail.
His ordeal has embarrassed the Abhisit Vejjajiva government and also put new dents in Thaksin Shinawatra's ebbing popularity. It's debatable who should bear the bigger blame for his plight, but both sides played big parts in events leading to his arrest. Thaksin's decisions to take up Cambodia's appointment as an economic adviser and come to Cambodia following an invitation that he could have easily declined made the Bangkok government curious about his movements - and the rest is history.
Thaksin's situation was then further complicated by the revelation that Sivarak's mother was a sympathiser of the red shirts (a group supporting ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra). A Thai citizen ending up in jail because of him was politically bad enough, so the red-shirted connection meant that he could not stand idly by and watch him wither in a Cambodian cell. Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party's scrambling to spearhead the pardon campaign was not as much of a ploy to discredit the Democrats as an effort to help Thaksin bounce back from the setback.
The Democrats' situation wasn't better. Despite the government's denial that Sivarak was snooping for Thaksin's travel data following a request from the foreign ministry, few believed the man was acting on his own. It didn't matter whether the information the man obtained was highly classified or not. Politics is about perception, and if the government was perceived to be responsible for Sivarak's arrest and the heavy penalty, that would be very difficult to change. So, whether the credit goes to Thaksin, or Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, or the Pheu Thai Party, now that Sivarak has been pardoned, the Democrats should feel relieved.
The Phnom Penh government, meanwhile, had nothing to gain from Sivarak languishing in its jail. And like Thaksin, Prime Minister Hun Sen saw his own situation compromised by the red-shirted connection of Sivarak's mother. The Thai man could not be acquitted, since that would have made a mockery of his arrest, but Hun Sen's ties with Thaksin and the need to prevent the badly cracked relationship with Bangkok from being completely shattered, dictated that the convict had better be freed.
So, it seemed like a ceasefire on the surface, but perhaps Sivarak has been pardoned so the warring parties could move down their collision course without an unpredictable political baggage that was helping nobody. What lies ahead for Thai-Cambodian relations still depends on the very same factors that got Sivarak into trouble in the first place. And it will take something bigger and more significant than the world-record speedy pardon to bring everything back to normal.
Extended German relief aid for victims of Typhoon Ketsana
Cambodia: Extended German relief aid for victims of Typhoon Ketsana
Source: Government of Germany
Phnom Penh, 11 December 2009 - With the aim to support those victims of typhoon Ketsana who have lost their houses and suffer from food shortages due to the devastating tropical storm the Federal Republic of Germany has, in addition to its previous assistance, provided 200.000 Euro relief aid. The additional assistance is channelled through the German Organisation Welthungerhilfe in cooperation with the local Ketsana Emergency Response network. The assistance will bridge humanitarian assistance provided earlier and will support efforts to reconstruct communal infrastructure in Ratanakiri Province. The affected population will also receive agricultural inputs in order to prepare for the next harvesting season.
In October 2009, the Federal Republic of Germany already provided 228.920 Euro assistance to the victims of typhoon Ketsana of which 200.000 Euro were addressed to assist the efforts of reconstruction and food provision through the NGO Care in Ratanakiri Province as well as for immediate relief aid in cooperation with the Red Cross.
In total, the Federal Republic of Germany therewith provided 428.920 Euro of relief aid to the victims of typhoon Ketsana.
read more “Extended German relief aid for victims of Typhoon Ketsana”
Source: Government of Germany
Phnom Penh, 11 December 2009 - With the aim to support those victims of typhoon Ketsana who have lost their houses and suffer from food shortages due to the devastating tropical storm the Federal Republic of Germany has, in addition to its previous assistance, provided 200.000 Euro relief aid. The additional assistance is channelled through the German Organisation Welthungerhilfe in cooperation with the local Ketsana Emergency Response network. The assistance will bridge humanitarian assistance provided earlier and will support efforts to reconstruct communal infrastructure in Ratanakiri Province. The affected population will also receive agricultural inputs in order to prepare for the next harvesting season.
In October 2009, the Federal Republic of Germany already provided 228.920 Euro assistance to the victims of typhoon Ketsana of which 200.000 Euro were addressed to assist the efforts of reconstruction and food provision through the NGO Care in Ratanakiri Province as well as for immediate relief aid in cooperation with the Red Cross.
In total, the Federal Republic of Germany therewith provided 428.920 Euro of relief aid to the victims of typhoon Ketsana.
Pheu Thai MPs expected to meet Thaksin in Phnom Penh
Sun, Dec 13, 2009
The Nation/Asia News Network
Cambodian immigration officers have been ordered to welcome a group of Pheu Thai MPs who are expected to meet former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in Phnom Penh tomorrow.
Pheu Thai chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has told his close aides he will not fly to Phnom Penh to see the release of the Thai engineer convicted for spying.
In the Thai border province of Sa Kaew, Cambodian officers, who asked not to be named, said yesterday that immigration officers in Poipet and other officers from Banteay Meanchey had a meeting on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to prepare for the visit by Pheu Thai MPs and Thaksin supporters.
Thaksin posted on Twitter that he had "asked permission to travel to exchange ideas with leaders of three countries in Asia for seven to eight days. I will try to keep in touch through Twitter or SMS as well as radio," he said.
"I'm sleepy now. I have a flight early in the morning but I haven't meditated. Good night. I might not be available for a talk tomorrow. Let's talk again on Sunday."
He did not mention the countries on his itinerary.
Maj-General Kattiya Sawasdipol said Thaksin, Chavalit and other Pheu Thai MPs would witness the release ceremony of Thai engineer Sivarak Chutipong.
Air Chief Marshal Sumet Phomanee, Thaksin's pre-cadet classmate and a Pheu Thai member, said it was likely that Thaksin would go to Cambodia but declined to confirm the trip.
Sumet dismissed Prime Minister Abhisit's Vejjajiva threat to try to arrest Thaksin if he flies into Thai airspace, saying Thaksin has his own security measures and would not necessarily pass over Thailand.
Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said Cambodian officers and Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, the mother of Sivarak, had asked Pheu Thai MPs to visit the country and bring Sivarak back to Thailand. But the party had not decided whether to take up the invitation.
Prompong as well as Thaksin's legal adviser Noppadon Pattama refused to confirm whether Thaksin would visit Cambodia soon.
Prompong and Chavalit's close aide, Lt-General Pirat Swamiwa, said Chavalit would not make the trip to Cambodia to pre-empt criticism that he did things for publicity.
Sivarak was granted a pardon by Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Friday, three days after he was sentenced by a Cambodian court to seven years in jail for leaking Thaksin's flight information during a previous visit.
After Sivarak was sentenced, the Pheu Thai Party and Chavalit proposed to help him by writing letters seeking a royal pardon.
Some Pheu Thai sources said Pheu Thai MPs would leave Suvarnabhumi Airport at 7.45am for Cambodia to observe Sivarak's discharge from prison.
read more “Pheu Thai MPs expected to meet Thaksin in Phnom Penh”
The Nation/Asia News Network
Cambodian immigration officers have been ordered to welcome a group of Pheu Thai MPs who are expected to meet former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in Phnom Penh tomorrow.
Pheu Thai chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has told his close aides he will not fly to Phnom Penh to see the release of the Thai engineer convicted for spying.
In the Thai border province of Sa Kaew, Cambodian officers, who asked not to be named, said yesterday that immigration officers in Poipet and other officers from Banteay Meanchey had a meeting on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to prepare for the visit by Pheu Thai MPs and Thaksin supporters.
Thaksin posted on Twitter that he had "asked permission to travel to exchange ideas with leaders of three countries in Asia for seven to eight days. I will try to keep in touch through Twitter or SMS as well as radio," he said.
"I'm sleepy now. I have a flight early in the morning but I haven't meditated. Good night. I might not be available for a talk tomorrow. Let's talk again on Sunday."
He did not mention the countries on his itinerary.
Maj-General Kattiya Sawasdipol said Thaksin, Chavalit and other Pheu Thai MPs would witness the release ceremony of Thai engineer Sivarak Chutipong.
Air Chief Marshal Sumet Phomanee, Thaksin's pre-cadet classmate and a Pheu Thai member, said it was likely that Thaksin would go to Cambodia but declined to confirm the trip.
Sumet dismissed Prime Minister Abhisit's Vejjajiva threat to try to arrest Thaksin if he flies into Thai airspace, saying Thaksin has his own security measures and would not necessarily pass over Thailand.
Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said Cambodian officers and Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, the mother of Sivarak, had asked Pheu Thai MPs to visit the country and bring Sivarak back to Thailand. But the party had not decided whether to take up the invitation.
Prompong as well as Thaksin's legal adviser Noppadon Pattama refused to confirm whether Thaksin would visit Cambodia soon.
Prompong and Chavalit's close aide, Lt-General Pirat Swamiwa, said Chavalit would not make the trip to Cambodia to pre-empt criticism that he did things for publicity.
Sivarak was granted a pardon by Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Friday, three days after he was sentenced by a Cambodian court to seven years in jail for leaking Thaksin's flight information during a previous visit.
After Sivarak was sentenced, the Pheu Thai Party and Chavalit proposed to help him by writing letters seeking a royal pardon.
Some Pheu Thai sources said Pheu Thai MPs would leave Suvarnabhumi Airport at 7.45am for Cambodia to observe Sivarak's discharge from prison.
Thaksin to arrive in Cambodia Sunday: govt
Sunday, December 13, 2009
AFP
PHNOM PENH — Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was expected in Cambodia Sunday to meet a Thai man jailed for spying on him last month, a government spokesman said.
"He (Thaksin) will arrive today," government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP. "He will meet the Thai man... and he will conduct one or two (economic) workshops in Cambodia during his stay."
A visit by Thaksin to Cambodia last month caused a diplomatic row when Cambodian premier Hun Sen refused to extradite the Thai tycoon to Thailand to serve a two-year jail term for graft.
Thai national Siwarak Chothipong, 31, was due to be released from prison on Monday after Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni issued a pardon. He was jailed for seven years for supplying Thaksin's flight schedule to the Thai embassy.
Thaksin, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006, made his trip to Cambodia last month to take up an economic advisory role with the government on the personal invitation of Hun Sen.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday said his government would likely submit another extradition request if Thaksin made a return trip.
Thaksin is living abroad to avoid the jail term for corruption, but has continued to stir up protests in his homeland.
Angered by his presence in Cambodia, Thailand put all talks and cooperation on hold and tore up an oil and gas exploration deal signed during Thaksin's tenure as prime minister.
Cambodia expelled a Thai diplomat who received the flight information from Siwarak. Thailand retaliated in kind hours later.
Both countries had earlier also withdrawn their ambassadors in the dispute over Thaksin's appointment to the advisory job.
read more “Thaksin to arrive in Cambodia Sunday: govt”
AFP
PHNOM PENH — Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was expected in Cambodia Sunday to meet a Thai man jailed for spying on him last month, a government spokesman said.
"He (Thaksin) will arrive today," government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP. "He will meet the Thai man... and he will conduct one or two (economic) workshops in Cambodia during his stay."
A visit by Thaksin to Cambodia last month caused a diplomatic row when Cambodian premier Hun Sen refused to extradite the Thai tycoon to Thailand to serve a two-year jail term for graft.
Thai national Siwarak Chothipong, 31, was due to be released from prison on Monday after Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni issued a pardon. He was jailed for seven years for supplying Thaksin's flight schedule to the Thai embassy.
Thaksin, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006, made his trip to Cambodia last month to take up an economic advisory role with the government on the personal invitation of Hun Sen.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday said his government would likely submit another extradition request if Thaksin made a return trip.
Thaksin is living abroad to avoid the jail term for corruption, but has continued to stir up protests in his homeland.
Angered by his presence in Cambodia, Thailand put all talks and cooperation on hold and tore up an oil and gas exploration deal signed during Thaksin's tenure as prime minister.
Cambodia expelled a Thai diplomat who received the flight information from Siwarak. Thailand retaliated in kind hours later.
Both countries had earlier also withdrawn their ambassadors in the dispute over Thaksin's appointment to the advisory job.
THE BIG ISSUE: Pardon a part of the script
BIT PLAYER: Thai engineer Sivarak Chutipong.
13/12/2009
Bangkok Post
It was, as Bangkok Post columnist Veera Prateepchaikul put it, "a well-scripted drama", and the government had no lines. Sivarak Chutipong, the Thai accused of spying, had no choice but to play his own silent part: Fire his first lawyer, go to court, receive his pre-determined "guilty" sentence, be respectful, go back to his cell at the unspeakable Prey Sar prison and wait for the gracious King Norodom Sihamoni to grant his pardon.
In this drama, Sivarak's mother Simarak na Nakhon Phanom appeared as the tragic figure.
The prosecutor, Sivarak and Mrs Simarak all fingered a senior Thai diplomat at the embassy in Phnom Penh as the key figure in the case. First secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai was identified by all three as asking Sivarak for Thaksin's flight plan. But Mr Kamrob was kicked out of Cambodia and has not appeared in any of the public events surrounding the trial - and of course could not have been at the trial even if he had wanted.
Still, ''Where is Kamrob?'' sobbed Mrs Simarak immediately after the verdict. She called on the diplomat to ''act responsibly'' for getting her son in trouble.
Mrs Simarak, weeping over the fate of her son, bitter at the former first secretary, finally turned to the only obvious middleman.
On cue, Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh strode in, ready to invoke the name of party icon Thaksin Shinawatra and speak to the Khmer authorities about Sivarak. By coincidence, in fact, Gen Chavalit already had prepared a letter to Hun Sen, asking for help.
The foreign ministry found itself basically unable to help. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, from the beginning, has been the very personal target of Hun Sen, for remarks he made as a yellow shirt supporter.
The ministry hired a lawyer for Sivarak - and he was fired by his client for botching the case. The ministry was waiting for a copy of the court verdict to study its options while Gen Chavalit already had his amnesty appeal ready.
Cambodia wanted a few days, maybe a few weeks, to let everyone stew, but the stage was clearly set and, as this column wrote two weeks ago, the point is near where Prime Minister Hun Sen reiterates he has no quarrel with Thailand, only with the government, and Cambodia ''takes its propaganda gains, releases the 'spy' and calls the whole thing off''.
Chavalit not going to Cambodia
PUEA THAI MPS TO BRING BACK ENGINEER AFTER HIS RELEASE
13/12/2009
Bangkok Post
Puea Thai chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh will not fly to Cambodia to bring back a Thai engineer who will be released from jail tomorrow after being granted a royal pardon in a spying case, an aide said yesterday.
But the opposition Puea Thai Party's plan to ask its MPs to accompany Simarak na Nakhon Phanom and her 31-year-old son Sivarak Chutipong, an engineer who worked for the Cambodian Air Traffic Services (CATS), home tomorrow remains in place.
Piratch Sawamiwas, a close aide of Gen Chavalit, said the general has decided not to travel with the Puea Thai MPs to Cambodia despite the fact that he had played a key role in his release.
"He doesn't want to face more criticism that the engineer's detention and release was a set-up. He just wants to remain behind the scenes," said Lt Gen Piratch.
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is expected to join the event in Cambodia.
Thaksin announced on his Twitter page yesterday that he would be making a week-long trip to the region to visit the leaders of three Asian countries.
However, the countries were not named.
"I have asked for permission to travel to exchange views with three leaders in Asia and I will try to stay connected with you via Twitter, SMS or online radio programmes," Thaksin wrote without offering further details.
When Thaksin's close aide and legal adviser Noppadon Pattama was reached for confirmation of the Cambodian trip, he denied having any knowledge about it.
An official in Cambodia's Poipet township told reporters yesterday that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had instructed authorities in Poipet and the border province of Banteay Meanchey to prepare to welcome the Puea Thai MPs flying in tomorrow.
However, the official could not confirm if Thaksin would fly into Cambodia on that day.
Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni granted a pardon to Sivarak on Friday, three days after he was sentenced to seven years in prison for spying.
Sivarak was found guilty by a Cambodian court of stealing the flight plan of Thaksin ahead of his visit to Cambodia last month as Cambodia's economic adviser.
Sivarak was arrested by Cambodian authorities on Nov 12, two days after Thaksin arrived in Phnom Penh by private jet and one day after the first secretary at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, Kamrob Palawatwichai, was expelled for asking Sivarak to divulge the information.
The case soured relations between the two countries.
Sivarak will be released from jail following a pardon which was granted on humanitarian grounds.
Cambodia says that Thaksin played a key role in the release by personally phoning Hun Sen and enlisting his help in seeking a royal pardon.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday offered no comment on the matter.
read more “Chavalit not going to Cambodia”
13/12/2009
Bangkok Post
Puea Thai chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh will not fly to Cambodia to bring back a Thai engineer who will be released from jail tomorrow after being granted a royal pardon in a spying case, an aide said yesterday.
But the opposition Puea Thai Party's plan to ask its MPs to accompany Simarak na Nakhon Phanom and her 31-year-old son Sivarak Chutipong, an engineer who worked for the Cambodian Air Traffic Services (CATS), home tomorrow remains in place.
Piratch Sawamiwas, a close aide of Gen Chavalit, said the general has decided not to travel with the Puea Thai MPs to Cambodia despite the fact that he had played a key role in his release.
"He doesn't want to face more criticism that the engineer's detention and release was a set-up. He just wants to remain behind the scenes," said Lt Gen Piratch.
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is expected to join the event in Cambodia.
Thaksin announced on his Twitter page yesterday that he would be making a week-long trip to the region to visit the leaders of three Asian countries.
However, the countries were not named.
"I have asked for permission to travel to exchange views with three leaders in Asia and I will try to stay connected with you via Twitter, SMS or online radio programmes," Thaksin wrote without offering further details.
When Thaksin's close aide and legal adviser Noppadon Pattama was reached for confirmation of the Cambodian trip, he denied having any knowledge about it.
An official in Cambodia's Poipet township told reporters yesterday that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had instructed authorities in Poipet and the border province of Banteay Meanchey to prepare to welcome the Puea Thai MPs flying in tomorrow.
However, the official could not confirm if Thaksin would fly into Cambodia on that day.
Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni granted a pardon to Sivarak on Friday, three days after he was sentenced to seven years in prison for spying.
Sivarak was found guilty by a Cambodian court of stealing the flight plan of Thaksin ahead of his visit to Cambodia last month as Cambodia's economic adviser.
Sivarak was arrested by Cambodian authorities on Nov 12, two days after Thaksin arrived in Phnom Penh by private jet and one day after the first secretary at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, Kamrob Palawatwichai, was expelled for asking Sivarak to divulge the information.
The case soured relations between the two countries.
Sivarak will be released from jail following a pardon which was granted on humanitarian grounds.
Cambodia says that Thaksin played a key role in the release by personally phoning Hun Sen and enlisting his help in seeking a royal pardon.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday offered no comment on the matter.
Pheu Thai MPs expected to meet Thaksin in Phnom Penh
Sun, Dec 13, 2009
The Nation/Asia News Network
Cambodian immigration officers have been ordered to welcome a group of Pheu Thai MPs who are expected to meet former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in Phnom Penh tomorrow.
Pheu Thai chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has told his close aides he will not fly to Phnom Penh to see the release of the Thai engineer convicted for spying.
In the Thai border province of Sa Kaew, Cambodian officers, who asked not to be named, said yesterday that immigration officers in Poipet and other officers from Banteay Meanchey had a meeting on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to prepare for the visit by Pheu Thai MPs and Thaksin supporters.
read more “Pheu Thai MPs expected to meet Thaksin in Phnom Penh”
The Nation/Asia News Network
Cambodian immigration officers have been ordered to welcome a group of Pheu Thai MPs who are expected to meet former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in Phnom Penh tomorrow.
Pheu Thai chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has told his close aides he will not fly to Phnom Penh to see the release of the Thai engineer convicted for spying.
In the Thai border province of Sa Kaew, Cambodian officers, who asked not to be named, said yesterday that immigration officers in Poipet and other officers from Banteay Meanchey had a meeting on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to prepare for the visit by Pheu Thai MPs and Thaksin supporters.
Extended German relief aid for victims of Typhoon Ketsana
Cambodia: Extended German relief aid for victims of Typhoon Ketsana
Source: Government of Germany
Phnom Penh, 11 December 2009 - With the aim to support those victims of typhoon Ketsana who have lost their houses and suffer from food shortages due to the devastating tropical storm the Federal Republic of Germany has, in addition to its previous assistance, provided 200.000 Euro relief aid. The additional assistance is channelled through the German Organisation Welthungerhilfe in cooperation with the local Ketsana Emergency Response network. The assistance will bridge humanitarian assistance provided earlier and will support efforts to reconstruct communal infrastructure in Ratanakiri Province. The affected population will also receive agricultural inputs in order to prepare for the next harvesting season.
read more “Extended German relief aid for victims of Typhoon Ketsana”
Source: Government of Germany
Phnom Penh, 11 December 2009 - With the aim to support those victims of typhoon Ketsana who have lost their houses and suffer from food shortages due to the devastating tropical storm the Federal Republic of Germany has, in addition to its previous assistance, provided 200.000 Euro relief aid. The additional assistance is channelled through the German Organisation Welthungerhilfe in cooperation with the local Ketsana Emergency Response network. The assistance will bridge humanitarian assistance provided earlier and will support efforts to reconstruct communal infrastructure in Ratanakiri Province. The affected population will also receive agricultural inputs in order to prepare for the next harvesting season.
Thai-Cambodian ties no closer to being restored
13-12-2009
Editorial Desk
The Nation (Thailand)
Has the tension eased between Thailand and Cambodia? Yes. Is the diplomatic row between the neighbouring countries nearer to a solution? Probably not. Cambodia's royal pardon, granted to the convicted Thai "spy" so swiftly after a Phnom Penh court sentenced him to seven years in prison, seemed as politically motivated as the man's arrest itself, and it has left both countries' volatile relationship as unpredictable as ever.
read more “Thai-Cambodian ties no closer to being restored”
Editorial Desk
The Nation (Thailand)
Has the tension eased between Thailand and Cambodia? Yes. Is the diplomatic row between the neighbouring countries nearer to a solution? Probably not. Cambodia's royal pardon, granted to the convicted Thai "spy" so swiftly after a Phnom Penh court sentenced him to seven years in prison, seemed as politically motivated as the man's arrest itself, and it has left both countries' volatile relationship as unpredictable as ever.
Freed Thai engineer to meet ex-premier Thaksin before release in Cambodia
BANGKOK, Dec 13 (TNA) -- Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering whether to again request the Cambodian government to detain and then extradite fugitive, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra if he visits Phnom Penh on Monday, Panithan Watanayakorn, deputy secretary-general to Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday.
Hun Sen’s Political Pawn
Op-Ed by Khmerization
Saturday 12th December, 2009
“The arrest and the release of Siwarak Chotipong is Mr. Hun Sen’s political and diplomatic game, set up to canvass political supports back home and to use as a diplomatic weapon to fight against the Thai Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva.”
The Thai spy’s case, the arrest and the release of Mr. Siwarak Chotipong, has been played out like a soap opera on prime time television. In fact, it is a drama with the script written by Mr. Hun Sen and the soap opera being directed by Mr. Hun Sen alone and the hero being the Pheu Thai Party of Thailand which is claiming credit for his release for its domestic political consumption to satisfy its Thai electoral constituents back home. And the victims of all this political game are Siwarak Chotipong and his poor mother who has to endure the pain and the suffering of seeing her son being handcuffed, incarcerated and used as a political pawn.
read more “Hun Sen’s Political Pawn”
Saturday 12th December, 2009
“The arrest and the release of Siwarak Chotipong is Mr. Hun Sen’s political and diplomatic game, set up to canvass political supports back home and to use as a diplomatic weapon to fight against the Thai Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva.”
The Thai spy’s case, the arrest and the release of Mr. Siwarak Chotipong, has been played out like a soap opera on prime time television. In fact, it is a drama with the script written by Mr. Hun Sen and the soap opera being directed by Mr. Hun Sen alone and the hero being the Pheu Thai Party of Thailand which is claiming credit for his release for its domestic political consumption to satisfy its Thai electoral constituents back home. And the victims of all this political game are Siwarak Chotipong and his poor mother who has to endure the pain and the suffering of seeing her son being handcuffed, incarcerated and used as a political pawn.
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