Thread: 2 foreigners, Thai nabbed for spying

Cambodian 'spy' case draws official criticism | National news | The Phnom Penh Post - Cambodia's Newspaper of Record

Monday, 13 June 2011 15:02 Cheang Sokha

Cambodian embassy officials in Bangkok have found legal representation for a Cambodian man who was arrested on charges of espionage last week, an allegation the Foreign Ministry called a “deceitful fabrication”.

Ung Kimthai, 43, was apprehended by Thai officials on Tuesday in Thailand’s Sisaket province along with Wieng Terng Yang, a Vietnamese national, and Suchat Muhammad, a Thai national, Thai newspaper The Nation reported on Saturday.

In addition to charges of espionage, additional charges have been brought against Suchat for drunk driving and Ung Kimthai for drug abuse.

“This clearly shows Cambodia’s intent and disputes its claims that Thailand was the first to start using force and incursion. The arrests, on the other hand, show that Cambodia has been active militarily [against Thailand],” Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was quoted as saying.

Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said yesterday that Ung Kimthai, who is from Neak Loeung town in Kandal province, entered Thailand on June 2 as a tourist and was arrested on Tuesday.

Embassy officials, he added, had met with Ung Kimthai, who reportedly rejected the charges against him and said he had merely entered as a tourist, citing the recent visa exemption agreement between the two countries that allows tourists from both sides to visit without a visa.

“[Ung Kimthai] is being malignly accused,” said Koy Kuong, adding that Cambodian authorities would find a second legal representative for him when he is due to appear in court.

The... fabrication is only a pretext to justify future aggression

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected the espionage allegations, saying they are meant to mislead the public.

“The Royal Government of Cambodia wishes to assert that the above fabrication is only a pretext to justify future aggression against Cambodia,” the ministry said in a statement released on Friday.

“Cambodia feels it is very regrettable that the Prime Ministry of a neighbouring country has resorted to lies as an approach for Thai foreign policy.”

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Saturday that legal action would be taken against all three men, Thai state news agency MCOT reported.

When asked whether the Thai government would seek a “prisoner exchange” for two Thai nationals now serving time in Cambodia for espionage, he said he would let the legal process run its course, adding that under Thai law prisoners must serve at least two-thirds of their sentence before such an exchange would be possible.

Veera Somkwamkid, coordinator for the Thai Patriot Network, and his secretary, Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, were sentenced in February to eight and six years, respectively, for espionage, illegal entry and trespassing into a military area last year.

Koy Kuong, however, said a prisoner exchange was “impossible”. “Thailand shows ill-will in making up such a story to exchange for their prisoners,” he said.

Thai foreign ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Cambodia FM Reacts Thai PM on Cambodian alleged Spy

Bangkok Post : PM: Suspected spy has escaped

PM: Suspected spy has escaped

• Published: 16/06/2011 at 11:30 AM
• Online news:

One of three men arrested for spying for Cambodia is reported to have escaped, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

"I've received a report that a spy for Cambodia who was trying to gather information in Thailand has escaped," Mr Abhisit said.

"This proves that Thailand is not fabricating the spy case and we'll have to examine the evidence further," he said.

Police on Tuesday arrested a Thai, a Cambodian and a Vietnamese in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district, near the Thai-Cambodian border.

The suspects carried maps with military bases marked on them, but they denied they were spying.

The Cambodian government has accused Thailand of "deceitful fabrication" intending to mislead the public and malign Cambodia.

Let me guess what follows.....

Full-on manhunt - much sexier (and ongoing, too) story than a guy sitting in jail. Security forces (mainly Army, of course) searching all over the place - in Esaan. Some of them a bit keen/intrusive and prompting protest from locals. How very unpatriotic - better make sure the Thai people get to hear all about that bit. Oh - and they're red/PT supporters, apparently? Well - just goes to show, doesn't it......

Arrest warrant out for Cambodian spy

Arrest warrant out for Cambodian spy

By The Nation
Published on June 17, 2011


A Cambodian army officer, who went on the run recently, now faces an arrest warrant over espionage charges, Si Sa Ket Governor Somsak Suwannasujarit said yesterday.

The man, identified as Ya Pao or Wichai, is believed to be a colonel attached to the Cambodian army's intelligence corps. He was one of the men arrested last week for allegedly supplying Cambodia with details of Thai military installations and shelters. The other two alleged spies, currently in court custody, are a Thai and a Vietnamese.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva admitted that the Cambodia suspect had escaped, but added that an investigation was underway and that Thai military had no problem handling national defence despite the escape.

Meanwhile, a senior Vietnamese diplomat has contacted the prison authorities in Kantharalak district to visit suspect Wiang Teng Yang, but an approval from the military is still pending. The Second Army Area, which is in charge of all military operations in the Northeast, is coordinating with the Foreign Ministry over the request.

A media website, quoting a Voice of America report, said the Cambodian army was now recruiting 5,000 reservists. However, a military spokesman said this was a routine operation, and had nothing to do with the armed conflicts with Thailand.

Someone probably offed the guy accidentally during an "enhanced interrogation" and now the gov't. is covering it's tracks with this escaped story.

Just a guess, of course. Maybe he is hiding in a rice paddy somewhere?

Bangkok Post : Premier says suspected spy leader has fled country

• Published: 17/06/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has admitted that the suspected leader of three men arrested for alleged spying on the Thai-Cambodian border has managed to flee the country.

Mr Abhisit yesterday said he had received information from authorities concerned that the suspected leader of the group, who is a Cambodian colonel, had escaped from Thailand.

Police are now questioning the three men who were detained in connection with the alleged spying to find out further information, Mr Abhisit said.
He insisted that Thailand had not fabricated the spying allegations against Cambodia.

A Thai, a Cambodian and a Vietnamese, were arrested in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket on the evening of June 7 carrying maps with military bases marked on them, according to police.

The three were identified as Suchart Muhammad, a 32-year-old Thai Muslim, Cambodian citizen Ung Kimtai, 43, and Nguyen Teng Dang, 37, a Vietnamese national. All three suspects denied they were spying in the area.

The three alleged spies after their arrest in Si Sa Ket province on June 7

Cambodia accused Thailand of "deceitful fabrication" following the arrests. Phnom Penh said the spy claims were fabricated to justify Thai aggression against Cambodia along the border.

Police said Mr Suchart had admitted that he was paid 5,000 baht to drive a pickup truck for a group of six men to gather information on Thai military bases and bomb shelters at villages along the border in Si Sa Ket.

Mr Suchart told police that the group was led by a Cambodian man called Wichai.

Mr Wichai and three other men managed to escape police arrest while the three others were arrested.

Mr Suchart alleged that Mr Wichai had managed to get away with maps with information on the Thai military bases in the area.

On Wednesday, the provincial court in Kantharalak district issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr Wichai on a charge of espionage.

The name on his passport is reported to be Ya Pov or Chea Pov.

The 48-year-old Cambodian man is believed to have the military rank of colonel and runs a business in Cambodia, according to police.

An Immigration Police source said it was believed Mr Wichai left Thailand and crossed into Cambodia on June 9 via the immigration checkpoint at Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday defended soldiers and police who failed to capture the suspected leader of the alleged spying gang.

Mr Suthep said the army had done its best to prevent Cambodians from spying on Thai territory.

He said he did not think the escape was the army's fault.

Mr Suthep, who is in charge of national security, said the information on Thailand's military bases which Mr Wichai had obtained was not strategically important.

The bitter border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has seen 28 people killed this year, and the row has since moved to the United Nations' International Court of Justice.

^
Something of an obvious mismatch between this and other accounts - not least that it appears nobody escaped from army/police custody. There were seven - of whom three were arrested and are still detained.

One further thought for now: how likely is it that a spying mission would include a pickup driver conducting six passengers/spies on a tour through a (presumably) quite well monitored area?

Thai-ASEAN News Network

Vietnamese Diplomat Meets Spy Suspect

UPDATE : 17 June 2011

The secretary of the Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand has met with one of the spy suspects who is a Vietnamese national.

Secretary of the Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Minh Tuan has traveled to Kantharalak Prison in Sisaket Province to meet with Nguyen Tengyang, one of three spy suspects arrested and charged with espionage in Thailand. He was arrested with a Cambodian and a Thai national and they were believed to have been gathering Thai military forces' coordinates for Cambodia.

Pham has submitted the visit request through diplomatic channels and the visit was approved by the Foreign Ministry. Pham met with Nguyen at a facility provided by the prison. The visit was also closely monitored by Thai security officials.

The Vietnamese diplomat said that the visit was conducted in accordance to the Vietnamese Embassy's protocol in case any citizen of Vietnam is arrested or charged. Pham reported that Nguyen has been receiving relatively good treatment from the Thai authority while in detention.

He also added that the Vietnamese suspect has insisted that he has entered Thailand for sight-seeing and did not break any law. The Vietnamese diplomat will report this to his superior and will continue providing assistance to the suspect.

Just read through all the articles 1 by 1, watching the circus unfold. Amazing.

Bangkok Post : The spy who slipped out of our clutches

COMMENTARY

The spy who slipped out of our clutches

• Published: 20/06/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

He came out of nowhere. And he's gone without a clue. Hats off to Mr Wichai.

The 48-year-old, also known as Ya Pao, should have been arrested with three three suspects at Ban Phum Srol in Kantharalak district, Si Sa Ket, on June 7. Authorities believe he is the leader of the gang, comprising another Cambodian, one Thai and one Vietnamese, on a secret mission to allegedly scout Thai military bases and locations at the border for Phnom Penh. They were caught red-handed with a map identifying the army's strategic sites. The army chief of the second region, Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon, said they confessed to authorities that they were spies.

That was supposed to be good news for Thailand. Their alleged confession and arrest would show the world that the Cambodian government has not given up plans to militarily target Thailand. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is even thinking about telling the International Court of Justice and the World Heritage Committee about this alleged espionage case, as it could prove favourable to Thailand's position.

Don't forget that the world court at The Hague is to rule within weeks on whether Thailand should temporarily end all military and other activities in the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area around Preah Vihear temple. The WHC is assembling in Paris and one of its hottest agendas is the stalled management plan in the overlapping zone pushed by Phnom Penh and blocked by Bangkok. In addition to that, authorities hope that the alleged spies could be a chip to bargain for the release of Veera Somkwamkid of the Thai Patriots Network and Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, his secretary. Remember them? The two are serving jail terms at Prey Sar prison after being found guilty on two counts of illegally sneaking into Cambodia and espionage on Dec 29 last year.

So far, the Cambodian government seems not to be bothered by its people having been arrested and facing serious charges. It even accused Thailand of cooking up this case to have grounds to attack its country in the future. "The Royal Government of Cambodia wishes to assert that the above fabrication is only a pretext to justify future aggression against Cambodia," its Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on June 10.

That's how Phnom Penh sees it. It would be very strange if the Cambodian government had come out to admit that it had indeed sent people to spy on the Thai army.

Let the Thai judicial process answer this question after police forward the case to the court.

But another question remains unanswered. How on earth did Thai authorities let Mr Wichai slip through their hands so easily?

Mr Wichai managed to escape arrest as security forces captured the other three. He is believed to have returned home through the Aranyaprathet-Poipet checkpoint two days later. Letting him escape is an embarrassment for Thailand. It is even more embarrassing to see no alert from immigration and other authorities in charge of our borders, to bar him from crossing back into Cambodia.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban came out to protect soldiers and police, saying they did their best and should not be faulted for failing to capture the suspected spy leader.

But in fact they should be punished for their failure to catch the big fish. But now the country is in election mode. The Democrat Party-led coalition government doesn't feel like doing anything but carry out political campaigns as polling day nears and its political arch-rival, the Pheu Thai Party, is ahead in several polls. Don't be surprised if nobody comes out to shed any more light on how Mr Wichai escaped arrest.

As for Veera and Ratree, the two have to pray that the Democrats will get another chance to lead a coalition government. Their fate obviously relies on this party to help them out of jail, instead of having them serve their full term. The court in Phnom Penh handed Veera an 8-year jail term and Ratree 6 years.

If Pheu Thai gets the chance to form the government, it will not bother pursuing attempts to secure their release, given the duo's role in rallying against the then government led by the People Power Party, on its handling of the Preah Vihear issue. The Democrats will help them but Pheu Thai definitely won't.

Saritdet Marukatat is Editorial Pages Editor, Bangkok Post.

^

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

As for Veera and Ratree, the two have to pray that the Democrats will get another chance to lead a coalition government. Their fate obviously relies on this party to help them out of jail, instead of having them serve their full term. The court in Phnom Penh handed Veera an 8-year jail term and Ratree 6 years. If Pheu Thai gets the chance to form the government, it will not bother pursuing attempts to secure their release, given the duo's role in rallying against the then government led by the People Power Party, on its handling of the Preah Vihear issue. The Democrats will help them but Pheu Thai definitely won't.

An extreme not to say bizarre charge - even by Bkk Post's current standards. Aside from it being the clear duty of ANY government to pursue release/return of its nationals (and just common sense to be seen to be doing so), it would be quite a feather in any incoming government's cap if they did succeed.

In that event of course - if it's a PT-led government - the charge will swiftly change to "See - they were in cahoots with Cambodia all along". Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Thai-ASEAN News Network

Cambodia Demands Immediate Release of Cambodian Suspect

UPDATE : 16 August 2011

The Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry has disclosed that the third court session to hear the case of a Cambodian man accused of illegal entry and espionage will be conducted early next month.

The Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry has urged that Thai authorities release a Cambodian man suspected of illegal entry and espionage immediately, as it claims, the man has done nothing wrong.

They have accused Thai officials of falsifying evidence to bully him.

The Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry said that a Thai court in the Sisaket border province is set to carry out the trial for the Cambodian man accused of espionage on September 7, after the court has already held two sessions in the case.


Foreign Affairs Ministry's Spokesman Koy Kuong said there was already a second trial by the Thai court for the accused Cambodian civilian, identified as Ung Kimtai, who has being tried for drug possession and illegal entry into Thai military territory with a map.

Koy claimed that Thai authorities falsified evidence and coerced witnesses in an effort to bully the Cambodian man.

They are calling on Thai officials to release the suspect immediately.

The Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry went on to say that the suspect has denied all accusations, also claiming evidence against him was amde up by Thai officials.

He insisted that he entered Thailand legally and that he is simply a merchant.

Thais drop 'spy' charge against Cambodian | National news | The Phnom Penh Post - Cambodia's Newspaper of Record

Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Sokha Hotel

A court in Thailand switched charges against a Cambodian national from espionage to trespassing close to a military base in a hearing that was delayed for a second time, foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said yesterday.

Ung Kimthai, 46, appeared at court in Thailand’s Sisaket province yesterday to face charges of espionage and drug use following a delay in his first hearing on July 26.

Thai authorities have claimed they seized a map with military bases on it and photos taken near a base when they apprehended Ung Kimthai on June 7.

“Our lawyers and Kimthai himself continue to strongly reject this groundless accusation,” Koy Kuong said.

He said the court lacked sufficient evidence to try Ung Kimthai, and called the allegations against him a “bad trick and unacceptable”.

Vietnamese national Wieng Terng Yang and Suchat Muhammad, a Thai national, both of whom were arrested with Ung Kimthai, also appeared in court.

[deleted]

Court jails Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese for spying - Monsters and Critics

Court jails Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese for spying

Sep 6, 2011, 6:33 GMT

Bangkok - A Thai provincial court on Tuesday sentenced a Cambodian, Thai and Vietnamese to two years in jail each on charges of spying along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The three men were arrested on June 7, in Si Sa Ket province, 450 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, when they were driving a pickup truck in Thai military-controlled areas along the border near the Preah Vihear temple.

The 11th-century temple has been the source of a decades-old territorial dispute which has erupted into several border clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops over the past three years.

'The accused have pleaded not guilty, but the documents and evidence that were found in their possession leads the court to conclude that they were engaged in spying, and sentences them to two years in jail each,' the Kantharalak Court ruled, according to Thai television reports.

The accused were identified as Thai national Suchart Muhammad, 32, Cambodian Ung Kimtai, 43, and Vietnamese Nguyen Teng-yang, 37.

Thai and Cambodian troops have engaged in occasional skirmishes since mid-2008 over conflicting claims to a 4.6-square-kilometre plot of land adjacent to the temple perched on a cliff that defines the border.

Fighting last flared up in March near two other temples 140 kilometres west of Preah Vihear, leaving eight soldiers dead on each side.

Although the two countries have overlapping claims to land near Preah Vihear, the temple itself was judged to belong to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.

^
Two years for spying? Seems an astonishingly light sentence. Given the earlier

Originally Posted by PP Post

A court in Thailand switched charges against a Cambodian national from espionage to trespassing close to a military base

report (yes - from a Cambodian paper), what to make of this latest account?