Four Thais bailed, one sent back to jail in border crossing case

Jan 17, 2011
DPA

Phnom Penh - The Appeal Court on Tuesday ordered four imprisoned Thais to be released on bail, but said the fifth detainee, political activist Veera Somkwamkit, must stay behind bars.

The ruling follows last week's decision by the lower court to free two of the original group of seven arrested on Cambodian soil on December 29.

One of those freed on bail last week was parliamentarian Panich Vikitsreth of Thailand's ruling Democrat Party.

All seven have been charged with illegally crossing the border into Cambodia, and illegal entry into a military area. They face maximum 18-month jail terms if convicted.

As Veera and the other four Thais climbed into a waiting prison van, he turned to the media scrum and shouted that he would 'keep fighting until the end.'

Veera's lawyer, Pech Vicheka, said he would consult with Veera before deciding whether to appeal the ruling that kept his client in prison.

Earlier this month the seven Thais told the lower court they had crossed the border accidentally.

The court last week concluded its investigation into spying charges against Veera, a former leader of the nationalist People's Alliance for Democracy movement, also known as the yellow shirts.

His secretary Ratree Taiputana, was questioned along with him on spying charges, and the two face up to 10 years if convicted.

The Cambodian government has insisted that the case would not affect relations between the two nations, and said the judicial process needed to take its natural course.

Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have been tense for more than two years with sporadic clashes between troops over disputed territory surrounding the 11th-century Hindu temple of Preah Vihear on Cambodia's northern border.