Published: 20/12/2010
via CAAI
Three Thais who were sentenced to 18 months in jail in Cambodia for entering the country illegally while foraging for food along the border were released on Monday, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Monday.
The three villagers had been given a royal pardon, Mr Kasit said after a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh.
Their return to freedom marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations between Thailand and Cambodia, he said.
The trio were identified as Sanong Wongcharoen, Ling Pongphet and Lan Sapsri, all of Surin province.
They were arrested in August by Cambodian border patrol police while collecting forest products along the border and charged with illegal entry, amid allegations of spying.
Mr Kasit confirmed their release before departing Phnom Penh for Bangkok at the end of his two-day visit.
He said the three were in Siem Reap and by would be taken to Phnom Penh this afternoon, where they would placed in the custody of Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha.
The three men were expected to return home with Gen Prayuth on Tuesday, Mr Kasit said.
Gen Prayuth flew to Cambodia on Monday for a two-day official visit. He was accompanied by 1st Army commander Lt-Gen Udomdet Leebut and 2nd Army commander Lt-Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon.
The purpose of the visit is for Gen Prayuth to introduce himself after being made Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, to strengthen military ties between the two countries and to discuss problems over the Preah Vihear temple with Cambodian military leaders.
Gen Prayuth said before departing Thailand that no Thai troops had been withdrawn from the disputed area on the Cambodian border, but some deployments had been changed to avoid confrontation with Cambodian troops.
"If there is a change in the situation, the people can rest assured that there will not be any intrusions on to Thai soil," he said.
During his visit, Mr Kasit met with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Nam Hong before meeting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for an hour and a half in the morning.
Mr Kasit said after the meeting that the two countries agreed to resolve any conflict through peaceful means and that talks will be held regularly to prevent any further conflict. Neither would engage in wars of words through the media, to prevent misunderstanding.
He also said that officials from both countries at all levels should meet for talks on the listing of the ancient Hindu Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site, so there will not be any further argument at the next meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Bahrain in June next year.
He confirmed that Thailand will adhere to the negotiation framework agreed in 2008 and the 2000 Thai-Cambodian memorandum of understanding on border demarcation.
If negotiations fail, the issue would be taken to the International Court of Justice to consider the border issue only, not the issue of the Preah Vihear temple ruins themselves, which the court ruled in 1962 as belonging to Cambodia, he added.
Mr Kasit said that the ministry has set up two teams.
The first team will look into the land boundaries if the issue goes to the International Court of Justice, and the other team will look into the marine boundary and will propose a negotiation framework to parliament around March next year.
In other issues, Mr Kasit said the Thai government will resume its suspended assistance programmes under the earlier cooperative framework, including education and training scholarships, road and dam construction, and building railway links from Poi Pet to Sisophon.
No comments:
Post a Comment