10/01/2011
Saritdet Marukatat
Bangkok Post
In principle, everybody is equally protected by the government when a citizen gets into trouble in another country. In reality, however, it depends on the basic fact of whether you are somebody or a nobody. What happened to the two cases involving Cambodia perfectly substantiates this theory.
The government has launched diplomatic moves to bring back Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth, the People's Alliance for Democracy's leading figure Veera Somkwamkid, and five other Thais from Cambodia as soon as possible. Those seven face a charge of illegal entry and another charge of sneaking into the border area of a neighbouring country controlled by its army. Since those seven stepped beyond Thai soil in Khok Sung district of Sa Kaeo and into Cambodia on Dec 29, Bangkok has deployed much effort to secure their release from detention at Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya was quickly dispatched to the Cambodian capital to talk with leaders in Phnom Penh in a bid to help them. The cabinet put this issue on its agenda at last Tuesday's meeting and top security officials were summoned to talk with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his cabinet members at Government House.
The PAD and its ally, the Thai Patriots Network, mobilised supporters to put pressure on the Thai government and also on Cambodia in order to get the men back to their homeland.
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