waerth Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 So in Bangkok we get the Red nutcases and at the Thai Cambodian border we have the Yellow nutcases. Both call themselves democracy lovers and patriots ..... *sigh* Shoot them all I say! Democracy and Patriotism are clearly overrated. 'Patriots' threaten checkpoint Closing border crossing 'would hurt Cambodia' http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/216087/patriots-threaten-checkpoint A splinter group of the yellow shirt People's Alliance for Democracy is threatening to close a border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo to press for the release of seven Thais in a Cambodian jail. The group's target is the permanent Aranyaprathet-Poipet checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district through which goods worth almost 30 billion baht pass each year. Chaiwat Sinsuwong, a core member of the Thai Patriots Network, yesterday said the group needs to strike where it hurts Cambodia the most. He said the closure would prevent Thai gamblers from crossing the border to visit casinos in Poipet and stem illicit activities along the border including contraband, drugs and illegal labour. The town of Poipet houses a number of casinos, a prime source of income for Cambodia, and many Thais visit it. "When the checkpoint is closed, Cambodia will release the seven Thais. It wouldn't trade its source of income [for the detainees]," he said. Mr Chaiwat said the group will press for the release of the seven Thais even though two of them, Veera Somkwamkid of the network and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, face additional charges of espionage. Mr Chaiwat said Cambodia was trying the seven Thai nationals illegally and their detention was considered as kidnapping under the Geneva Convention. He said the convention, which had been endorsed by both countries, forbids the arrest and trial of civilians in a disputed area. The seven were arrested on Dec29 when they entered a disputed area near Nong Jan village in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district next to Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province. The network will today rally in front of Government House to force the government to take action, he said. The group is critical of the Democrat-led administration's handling of the matter and believes it has done very little to help the detained Thais. Mr Chaiwat said the group will today submit a petition to the United Nations and International Red Cross Society asking both agencies to monitor the case. Mr Veera, meanwhile, has refused to give a statement to the Cambodian municipal court unless he can do so through an interpreter provided by the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. Mr Veera and Ms Ratree were taken to the court yesterday for a hearing on the espionage charges against them. Mr Chavanond said Mr Veera demanded an interpreter from the Thai embassy instead of a court interpreter which is normally provided. He said the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh is prepared to submit the request but the decision rests with the Cambodian court. Mr Chavanond said Thai authorities are working on bail requests and a response is expected in a few days. He denied the government had urged the seven Thais to plead guilty to the trespassing charges and seek a royal pardon afterwards. Asked about a prisoner exchange programme, Mr Chavanond said it was too early to consider it. Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry has denied that its request for a budget of 517 million baht has anything to do with the current tense Thai-Cambodian situation. The cabinet on Tuesday approved the minister's request amid questions over the objective of the budget. Defence spokesman Thanatip Sawangsaeng said while the budget is earmarked for use in "unexpected circumstances" in the eastern region, it is not for the current situation. "The budget is to support operations of troops who have been deployed since last year. "The submission to the cabinet simply coincides with the border tension. It was proposed several times," he said. On the planned rally in Aranyaprathet, he said the provincial governor and authorities would have to work closely to keep the situation under control. A government source said the arrests of the seven Thais have not affected bilateral ties so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 ... okay, where are the blue shirts lurking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh_Hoy Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Poipet and Aranyaprathet have a very strong "symbiotic" relationship. The huge market depends on Cambodian customers to survive. The Cambodian customers rely on the market for many goods. The casinos, while attracting Thai gamblers, also have a LOT of Thai employees. Closing the border wouldn't help either side. HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Wun Sen deliberately stirred up the nonsense by charging only 2 of the 7 arrested Thais with spying. Both just happen to be Yellow Shirt leaders. The whole thing seems like little boys playing games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh_Hoy Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I wonder if Toxin put on his economic advisor wig and whispered into Hun Sen's ear that the two Yellow Shirts were on a mission to thwart Cambo's surge toward economic superiority in SEA? 55555555555 And yes, just political smoke for "at home" consumption. HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I wonder if Toxin put on his economic advisor wig and whispered into Hun Sen's ear that the two Yellow Shirts were on a mission to thwart Cambo's surge toward economic superiority in SEA? 55555555555 And yes, just political smoke for "at home" consumption. HH Yep, it is very convenient for both sides for to fire up nationalism. The border conflict is cheap tool the rally the people while blanketing the real issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 [color:red]The seven were arrested on Dec29 when they entered a disputed area near Nong Jan village in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district next to Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province. [/color] Sounds like they were stirring up some of Cambodia's deeper secrets. A boycott should help bring relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Interesting take that this is about internal Cambodian politics and is being used to divert attention away from the eastern border of Vietnam which has much worse problems. TH Bangkok Pundit Well, normally don’t blog about domestic Cambodian issues, but upon catching up on some reading, found this quote from VOA about the arrest of the 7 Thais in Cambodia: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has appealed to Phnom Penh to free the detainees, but Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has said the courts must decide their fate. Lao Mong Hay, a Cambodian political analyst living in Oxford, England, says the Cambodian judicial system is not independent, and the likelihood of a fair trial for the Thais is slim. “It’s still a sort of communist judiciary, which is under government control through the ruling party,†he says. “Almost all judges are members of the ruling party. And the party has strict discipline, so any deviation from the party line would be reprimanded.†BP: With the added spy charges for two of the Thais, well Hun Sen is able to ratchet up the issue. Why you ask? Again, Lao Mong Hay: “Deep down, [it is] just to aid the tension and divert public opinion from the eastern border,†he says. That’s the eastern border with Vietnam, an equally sensitive topic for Cambodian nationalists concerned that Hanoi is expanding its territory by secretly moving border markers. That issue receives little official scrutiny by Phnom Penh, which criticis say is a sign of Vietnam’s strong influence in Cambodian politics. BP: There is also about getting back at the yellow shirts (not sure that the Cambodians will differentiate with a mere yellow shirt-affliated group) and particularly as they agitate near the Thai-Cambodian border.* So far no evidence has been presented to justify the spying charges against two of the Thais and well given the very low threshold which it takes for a conviction, as we say in 2009 in regards to the Thai engineer arrested – see here, here, and here – so we will just say how the case plays out. Hun Sen can quicken up the court process or slow it down depending on domestic political concerns…. Is the releasing of the two Thais, including Democrat MP Panich, on bail meant to signal anything? *Annoyance at the yellow shirts, from what BP has heard, also relates back to the airport closure in 2008 when the PAD seized Bangkok airport and this had a direct affect on Cambodian tourism because many of those visiting Cambodia from Europe and other countries travel through Bangkok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hanoi supposedly has done the same thing to Laos. But the PDR Lao govmt is indebted to Hanoi for its existence. Come to think of it, so is the present Cambodian govmt. It's called true democracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 [color:red]The seven were arrested on Dec29 when they entered a disputed area near Nong Jan village in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district next to Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province. [/color] Sounds like they were stirring up some of Cambodia's deeper secrets. Actually there is fark all where they were. Absolutely nothing to spy on ... except rice paddies. A boycott should help bring relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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