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Cambodian king pardons convicted Thai spy

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni Friday pardoned a Thai man jailed for seven years for spying on fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a Cambodian government spokesman said.

Siwarak Chothipong, 31, an employee at the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, will be released from prison Monday to his family and a delegation from Thailand's opposition Puea Thai party, spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.

"The king just signed it this morning," Khieu Kanharith told AFP, adding that the royal pardon was issued after Prime Minister Hun Sen requested it Thursday.

"This morning Hun Sen said that if the man wants to continue working in Cambodia, he is welcome," Khieu Kanharith added.

Siwarak's arrest in Phnom Penh last month deepened a diplomatic crisis over Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser and its refusal to extradite the ousted premier to Thailand.

During his trial Tuesday, Siwarak denied stealing any documents and stated that although he had informed the Thai embassy's first secretary by telephone of a flight arrival, he had not been aware that Thaksin was on board.

Thaksin was toppled in a coup in 2006 and is living abroad to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption, but has continued to stir up protests in his homeland.

Thai spy pardoned in Cambodia

HNOM PENH, Cambodia—Cambodia's king pardoned a Thai man Friday who had been sentenced to seven years in prison for spying on Thailand's fugitive ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a case that soured relations between the neighbors.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Thai national Siwarak Chothipong would be released from prison Monday following his pardon by King Norodom Sihamoni.

The conviction Tuesday in the capital of Phnom Penh followed Cambodia's decision last month to name Thaksin, a fugitive from justice in Thailand, as its special economic adviser. The appointment and Thaksin's subsequent visit to Cambodia angered the government in Bangkok and resulted in a recall of ambassadors from both sides.

Kanharith said Siwarak's formal release would take place during a visit to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen by the prisoner's mother and members of a Thai political party loyal to Thaksin.

Siwarak, an employee of the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, which manages flights in the country, was accused of stealing Thaksin's flight schedule before his Nov. 10 arrival and sending it to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh. Thaksin stayed five days, getting red-carpet treatment as he talked to Cambodian economists.

Siwarak, 31, was arrested Nov. 12 and charged with stealing information that could impact national security.

Municipal Court Judge Ke Sakhan ruled that Thaksin's flight information was confidential and sharing it was a breach of security protocol for dignitaries.

Siwarak acknowledged earlier in court that he saw the flight schedule and passed the details on to Thai embassy First Secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai who was later expelled from the country. But he denied stealing the document.

Thaksin went into self-imposed exile last year before a Thai court found him guilty of violating a conflict of interest law and sentenced him to two years in prison. He had served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006, when he was ousted in a military coup after being accused of corruption and showing disrespect to the monarchy.

Thaksin's supporters and opponents have repeatedly taken to the streets since then to spar over who has the right to rule the country, sometimes sparking violence.

Thaksin's visit to Cambodia led to allegations he was trying to ignite a new political crisis from across the border.

Critics, including Thailand's government, have portrayed Thaksin as a traitor for accepting the Cambodian appointment and have lambasted Cambodia for hosting him while he is a fugitive. Relations have already been roiled by several deadly skirmishes over the past year and a half over land surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Puea Thai asks Kasit, Kamrob to resign

The opposition Puea Thai Party on Friday called for Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Kamrob Palawatwichai, former first secretary to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, and accept responsibility for having caused Sivarak Chutipong's suffering in Cambodia.

The call was made in a letter submitted by party spokesman Prompong Nopparit. The letter was accepted by Seri Mutthatharn, deputy director of the General Affairs Division.

Sivarak was sentenced to seven years in jail and a fine of about 82,500 baht by a Cambodian court which found him guilty of supplying information on former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule to the Thai government through Mr Kamrob.

Mr Prompong also accused the government to having impeded the Puea Thai Party's attempt to get a royal pardon for Sivarak. He said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his aides had continued to make remarks that might be construed as infringing on Cambodia's sovereignty.

Earlier today, he went to the Education Ministry to submit a leave request of Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, Sivarak's mother, to Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit. Mrs Simarak said it was necessary for her to remain in Phnom Penh to prepare documents to petition for the royal pardon.