via CAAI
BANGKOK, Oct 13 -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Wednesday cautioned the public that report of alleged arms training for hard-core anti-government Red Shirt activists on Cambodian soil was merely information obtained in investigation which has yet to be verified, saying he will discuss the issue with his Cambodian counterpart once the investigation is concluded.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Thailand's National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Tawin Pleansri who briefed him regarding the overall security review, Mr Abhisit said he ordered security-related officials to verify any information and exercise caution before giving any news briefings.
"They should not giving any confirmation that could lead to misunderstandings between neighbouring countries," he said.
He said his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen denied that there was arms training of an anti-Thai government group on Cambodian soil but Thailand is obliged to verify the information.
"The Thai government has not made any accusation. At this stage, the issue is being investigated and is in the process of verification," the Thai prime minister asserted, adding that he would talk with Mr Hun Sen once the verified information is received.
Mr Abhisit however said the Thai government would not allow any group of people to use another country [as a base] to undermine the kingdom's stability.
Meanwhile, the Thai Foreign Ministry said it would ask the Cambodian government for cooperation to probe the alleged arms training of hard-core anti-government Red Shirt activists on Cambodian soil.
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said when the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) concludes its investigation, the foreign ministry will submit the report to Cambodia and ask Phnom Penh to help verify it.
The Thai foreign minister said he believed the issue will not have any adverse impact on bilateral ties.
NSC Secretary-General Tawin on Tuesday confirmed information from the DSI which said that 11 men arrested in a raid on a resort in the northern province of Chiang Mai and suspected of planning acts of terror claimed that they and 28 others underwent weapons training in Cambodia.
The Cambodian government on Wednesday, again, strongly rejected the allegations.
Agence France-Presse (AFP), a French news agency, quoted a statement by a spokesman for the Council of Ministers as saying that "Cambodia will neither allow foreigners to set up training camps nor military bases on Cambodian territory."
According to the statement, he accused the Thai authorities of engaging in "malicious political manoeuvring" to link the country to Thailand's internal problems.
"Cambodia strongly demands that Thailand's DSI put an end to the dirty games of concocting evidence to deflect Thai public opinion from Thailand's own internal political and social problems," the statement said. (MCOT online news)
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