Friday, 4 December 2009

Mother of detained engineer vows to fight for her son's freedom



(Posted by CAAI News Media)

BANGKOK, Dec 3 (TNA) - The mother of a Thai engineer, detained in a Cambodian prison, said on Thursday that she will try every means to help her son and will seek an amnesty for him if the Cambodian decides he is guilty.

Mrs Simarak Na Nakhon Panom returned yesterday from the second trip to Phnom Penh to visit Siwarak Chutipong, an employee of the Thai-owned Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS) who was arrested by Cambodian police on November 12 on charges of passing to Thai diplomats information on the flight details of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra during his recent visit to the neighbouring country.

Mr Siwarak has been detained at Preysar prison. The Cambodian court will give its verdict on the case on December 8. Mrs Simarak's second trip to Phnom Penh was faciliated and spornsored by the opposition Puea Thai Party.

She said her son has been allergic to the weather and become stressful, but he was full of hope and glad to see her.

Regarding the bailing process, Mrs Simarak said it depends on the Cambodian court, expressing hope that her son would be treated fairly as he was innocent.

She added that the Thai governemnt has tried hard to help her son and provided information to Mr. Siwarak's lawyer in order to request the bail on December 4.

Mrs Simarak will make her third trip to Phnom Penh next Monday together with Foreign Ministry officials to give moral support to her son during the court's ruling.

"Everything is up to the court," she said."If my son is innocent, he will be freed and he will personally give a news conference."

Mrs Simarak added that her son will return to Thailand and enter monkhood if he is acquitted. If found guilty, he will seek a royal pardon.

When asked if she will seek help from Mr Thaksin, she said she will ask for assistance from all parties, not only from the ousted premier.

Upon her arrival at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, Mrs Simarak rushed to the Puea Thai Party headquarters to meet with party's chairman Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and thank him for arranging her second trip to Cambodia.

She said after the meeting that she felt more relief as Gen Chavalit offered to help her family behind-the-scene.

Mrs Simarak reiterated that her meeting with Gen Chavalit was about her son's safety and she did not want any political implication on the matter.

She added that she will also inform the Thai Foreign Ministry and Cambodia that she will change her son's lawyer as she believes the new lawyer, recommended by Mr Siwarak's friends, will perform better than the current one.

Regarding an unconfirmed report that Mr Siwarak will be released on bail on Friday at 2pm, Mrs Simarak said it should be so. (TNA)

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