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Democrat Party MP Panich Vikitsreth and six yellow-shirt activists were yesterday charged by a Cambodian court for illegally entering its territory even as Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva demanded their immediate release without conditions.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya was sent to Phnom Penh yesterday to negotiate with his Cambodian counterpart, Hor Namhong, for the release of the detainees.
Kasit said he respected Cambodia's judiciary but urged authorities in Phnom Penh to speed up the process and hoped they would be freed soon.
Kasit told Hor Namhong that the group did not intend to cross into Cambodian territory but did not know exactly where the boundary line was.
Hor Namhong said the group crossed from eastern Thailand's Sa Kaew province and walked about 500 metres into Cambodian territory.
"They will not be released until the normal court procedure is completed," he said after his meeting with Kasit.
Panich and his group, including yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid, were arrested in the disputed area near Sa Kaew's Ban Nong Chan village on Wednesday while inspecting the boundary.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his dissatisfaction over the group's action and ordered local authorities to take them to Phnom Penh for prosecution. They are being held in Prey Sar prison on the outskirts of the capital.
For some in the group, notably Veera, it was their second arrest at the same location. Veera and his group were briefly held by a Cambodian official after entering the disputed area in August.
Panich told The Nation via a telephone conversation shortly after his release that he believed his group was in the area under Thai sovereignty when eight or nine Cambodian soldiers took them into custody.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said after a meeting with Abhisit and security concern agencies that Panich and his group might have gone as far as 400 metres into the Cambodian side.
Illegal crossing of the Cambodian boundary could result in an 18-month imprisonment. Cambodia released three Thai nationals on the same charge last week after a royal pardon to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The court ordered 18-month jail terms for illegal entry as they had mistakenly crossed the boundary while seeking forestry items in August.
Abhisit said Panich and his group should not be prosecuted for unintentional entry as the two countries had agreed earlier that unarmed civilians should not be tried for crossing the border.
The yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy yesterday put pressure on the government to secure the release
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