Wednesday, 19 January 2011

Cambodia Releases Four More Thai Detainees on Bail

http://english.ntdtv.com/

via CAAI

2011-01-18



On Tuesday a Cambodian court released four of five Thais detained for trespassing on Cambodian territory.

There were originally seven in the group, which was detained last December.

The court denied bail for one member of the group who is the leader of the Thai Patriots Network, accused of spying, along with one other man. The spying charge carries sentences between five to 10 months.

This is the second time the court has granted bail to members of the group.

The seven Thais were detained by the Cambodian military along the border of the two countries. They were charged on December 30 with illegal entry and encroachment on Cambodia's border military zone, an offense which carries a maximum sentence of 18 months.

Shortly after they were detained, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva sent his foreign minister to Phnom Penh to seek their release, but the bid was rejected by the Cambodian government.

The detainees say they had only been inspecting the border.

Large stretches of the Thai-Cambodian border are poorly demarcated and many border markers have been destroyed or moved during decades of conflict in Cambodia.

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