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| Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva grimaces as he walks from the Thai Khu Fa building at Government House to attend the cabinet meeting yesterday. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD |
Thanida Tansubhapol
Bangkok Post
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has addressed a news conference to explain a YouTube video clip which shows Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth making a phone call to someone to tell Mr Abhisit's secretary, Somkiart Krongwatanasuk, that he and six other Thais were crossing the border into Cambodia just before they were arrested last Wednesday by Cambodian soldiers. The following are the prime minister's responses to questions from reporters.
Did you order Mr Panich to go on this trip?
I assigned Mr Panich to coordinate with a group of people who do not understand the Thai-Cambodian problem, to ease the conflict in Thai society to prevent it from escalating and affecting the Thai-Cambodian relationship.
Mr Panich reported to me that there were local people who had problems using land along the border. He wanted to go to the area to take care of this issue.
He told me he would go to Prachin Buri, not Sa Kaeo. He also asked me how he could coordinate with the local authorities. I told him to call me when he arrived in the area where he needed to coordinate with the authorities.
Mr Panich's secretary called me after he [Mr Panich] was arrested.
Why did Mr Panich tell somebody to tell your secretary not to tell anybody [that he was inside Cambodian territory]?
Mr Panich informed only me about the trip. If the PM's secretary was to report to other people, they would not understand. So he had to inform me. It was not a secret mission.
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Did you order Mr Panich to go on this trip?
I assigned Mr Panich to coordinate with a group of people who do not understand the Thai-Cambodian problem, to ease the conflict in Thai society to prevent it from escalating and affecting the Thai-Cambodian relationship.
Mr Panich reported to me that there were local people who had problems using land along the border. He wanted to go to the area to take care of this issue.
He told me he would go to Prachin Buri, not Sa Kaeo. He also asked me how he could coordinate with the local authorities. I told him to call me when he arrived in the area where he needed to coordinate with the authorities.
Mr Panich's secretary called me after he [Mr Panich] was arrested.
Why did Mr Panich tell somebody to tell your secretary not to tell anybody [that he was inside Cambodian territory]?
Mr Panich informed only me about the trip. If the PM's secretary was to report to other people, they would not understand. So he had to inform me. It was not a secret mission.
Please click here to read more...
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