The Nation
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said Thursday he planned to visit Phnom Penh to seek the release of two Thai activists jailed there on spy charges.
He said his visit would come only after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s official visit to the country.
Two Thai activists; Veera Somkwamkid, leader of the Thailand Patriot Network and his assistant Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, were arrested and given up to eight years in jail in Cambodia on charges of spying.
The two were among seven Thais including a Democrat MP, charged with illegal entry after crossing into a disputed border area in December last year. The incident happened during the Abhisit government.
Five of them were freed after their jail terms were suspended. But Veera and Ratree remain in jail and their royal pardon requests have been denied.
Chalerm is in the government of Yingluck, whose brother, former PM Thaksin, has close ties with Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen. Thaksin was a personal economic adviser to Hun Sen. The appointment led to downgrading of mutual ties between Thailand and Cambodia.
Chalerm told reporters that his son, Wan, is a friend of Cambodia’s deputy navy commander in chief, so he would probably use this connection to help seek the release of Veera and Ratree.
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