Thailand-Cambodia ties 'at risk'

Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya wants the cabinet to review Thailand's relations with Cambodia unless Phnom Penh makes progress with the case of the seven arrested Thai nationals, including ruling Democrat Party MP Panich Vikitsreth, in the next couple of days, a government source said.

Kasit told the cabinet meeting Tuesday (January 4) that he had failed to talk Cambodian authorities into settling the case out of court, because Phnom Penh was angry with some members of the group, especially yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid, who was caught twice in the same location, the source said.

Panich, Veera and the other yellow-shirt activists were arrested last Wednesday (December 29) on Cambodian soil near Sa Kaew's Bang Nong Chan community while allegedly inspecting the disputed border area.

Veera was captured at the same location in August when he and his group crossed the border illegally. He was released shortly afterwards thanks to help from the border police.

This time, though, Phnom Penh is taking the case seriously and is prosecuting the intruders. However, a Cambodian senior security source said Panich might be given bail because he apparently had no intention to provoke arrest.

Kasit said on television that though the government was unable to intervene in the Cambodian justice system, he hoped the authorities in Phnom Penh would speed up the process. Illegal entry is not a serious crime and they do not deserve tough punishment, he said.

"Our relations are improving and I hope Cambodia does not take this minor case of illegal entry so seriously. Otherwise, we would need to review our relations," he said.

Information from the Royal Thai Survey Department indicated that the group had gone just 55 metres into Cambodian territory, Kasit said.

A series of leaked video clips showed that Panich was speaking on the phone with an unknown person and wanted this person to tell Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva that he was walking into Cambodia and wanted them to keep in touch in case "something" happens.

Abhisit said he was aware of Panich's trip to the border area but did not expect him to go that far. He said he had simply told Panich to listen to members of the yellow-shirted People's Alliance for Democracy, who have problems with the boundary area.

Government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn said Panich had told Abhisit that he would visit the border area in Prachin Buri province. "However, he changed the destination. If Panich had informed the prime minister that he would enter Cambodia, the premier would have stopped him."

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the video clip posted on YouTube had put Thailand at a disadvantage.

A Phnom Penh court has charged the seven Thais with illegal entry and unlawfully entering a military base, which could see each of them getting a combined jail term of 18 months if convicted.

Kasit said the foreign ministry had provided legal assistance by hiring a lawyer to defend the group and assigned officials at the Thai Embassy to monitor their wellbeing in prison. He said the court would hold the first hearing on Thursday (January 6) and that the group had the right to request bail.

Meanwhile, a group of about 200 yellow-shirt protesters, led by former industry minister Chaiwat Sinsuwong, rallied at a border market in Sa Kaew province, demanding that the government help rescue their compatriots.

However, residents of Bang Nong Chan and Non Mak Moon communities were against this gathering and about 800 of them gathered at the subdistrict administration office demanding that the yellow shirts be kept out. They said they did not want their peace to be disturbed and that people on both sides of the border could live together peacefully even though the governments were in a conflict over the boundary.