via Khmer NZ
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Aug 20 - The three Thai hunters arrested by Cambodian police on charge of spying while gathering forest products along the Thai-Cambodian border are not spies and their arrest has nothing to do with the two countries ongoing border dispute, a senior Thai army official said on Friday.
Second Army Region commander Lt-Gen Veevalit Chornsamrit made the assertation after three Thai men from Thailand’s northeastern border province of Surin were arrested by Cambodian border patrol police in Kanna village of Sangkha district six days ago during the heated border spat between the neighbouring countries.
The trio were identified as Sanong Wongchareon, Ling Pongphet and Lan Sapsri. All were charged by the Cambodian authorities with spying.
Gen Veevalit reaffirmed that the three mens are not spies as accused by Cambodia, but just ordinary local citizens who were armed only with homemade hunting guns with them.
He said the detainees are all safe and have been sent to Cambodia's Siem Riep province Friday morning for legal prosecution.
"The Cambodian authorities informed us that the trio can not yet be sent back to Thailand as they must face legal procedures in Siam Riep first and the process will take a while," the commander said.
Gen Veevalit reasserted that the arrest of the three has nothing to do with politics nor the border dispute and Cambodia has not set any conditions in exchange for the release of the Thai detainees.
"The villagers simply strayed while hunting for game," the Thai commander said. "Recently some Cambodians were discovered crossing into Thailand, which deported them back to their homeland, according to the Thai commander."
Gen Veevalit expressed confidence that Thai officials at operational level are now coordinating with their Cambodian counterparts to bring the trio back, while concerned authorities have also been instructed to warn residents along the border not to illegally enter the border areas to hunt or seek forest products to avoid a repeat of the incident.
Following concerns that border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia may affect the case of the three arrested men, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Friday that good cooperation at the operational level between the two countries could help ease the problem.
Thani Thangpakdee, deputy director-general of the Thai Foreign Ministry’s Department of Information, said on Friday the ministry has already instructed the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh to provide assistance to the three arrested Thai nationals.
Tension at the Thai-Cambodian border flared up after UNESCO accorded the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status, while the border dispute over the contested 4.6 sq km area of land near the temple claimed by both countries remains unresolved, leading to clashes between the militaries of the two kingdoms. (MCOT online news)
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