BANGKOK, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said the Abhisit government would not ‘lose face’ if convicted ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra helps release the Thai engineer detained in Cambodia on spy charges.

Siwarak Chothipong, 31, a Thai national employed at Cambodia Air Traffic Service (CATS), was arrested last week after being accused of giving information about ex-Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s flight schedule to a Thai consular official in Phnom Penh.
Some Thai media reported that Mr Thaksin had contacted Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to free Mr Siwarak and that opposition Puea Thai Party chairman Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth will fly to accompany him back to Thailand.

Asked by reporters whether the move would be an attempt to upstage the government, Mr Suthep said the government is not working to show off.
He said after the arrest, Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan was trying to contact Cambodian authorities for fair treatment of Mr Siwarak but he said the government must observe Cambodian sovereignty.
Mr Suthep added that the flight schedule should not be considered a secret information.
He said he had no report confirming Gen Chavalit’s trip to Cambodia to bring Mr Siwarak back to Thailand but if true, the government would not consider it losing face as long as Mr Siwarak is safe.

Pheu Thai Party remains unfazed

Decline in Thaksin’s popularity not worrisome because no polls ahead

It is clear that fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra’s recent actions seem to be bringing him and Pheu Thai Party down in the popularity stakes, because he is widely being seen as the main factor behind worsening ties between Thailand and Cambodia.
Though many key Pheu Thai members conceded that most people did not approve of their boss’s friendship with Cambodian PM Hun Sen, they don’t seem to be worried and are not looking for any methods to rebuild this sagging popularity. Many of the followers seem to think it does not matter if there are no elections coming up.

“When it comes to an election, the voters would consider the government’s achievements. But the election is far away because this government is likely to stay until the end or until the House is dissolved,” a Pheu Thai source, who asked not to be named, said. “Thais forget easily. They will forget this soon.”
In the scheme of things, the source said, Thaksin did not really lose. At least, he has a safe haven where the government cannot hound him.
Another key Pheu Thai member said the party did not need to adjust any of its strategies because there were no elections coming up.
“We have to see who in the long run gains or loses this game,” he said.
“At least, the reasons Hun Sen gave for not extraditing Thaksin to Thailand have attracted attention from the international community. No one had said that before. Hun Sen is the leader of a country with a shared border with Thailand, his words should have some credibility,” the source said.

Still, he thinks Thaksin did not choose the right time for these moves.
“We were surprised when Thaksin took those steps unexpectedly. But frankly, he owns the party and has the right to do anything. Nobody can stop him. Nobody dare criticise him. We didn’t even discuss the issue at the party meeting,” the source said.
Caretaker leader of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, Chaturon Chaisang, who lost his voting rights just like Thaksin and many others, said the former PM might have made a mistake.

“We have to accept that the Democrat-led government took the chance of provoking patriotism and this affected Thaksin, Pheu Thai and the red shirts,” Chaturon said.
Pheu Thai deputy leader Panpree Pahitthanukorn said the party’s MPs acknowledged the adverse effect, but were not worried because elections were not due soon. Moreover, the party does not want a diplomatic row and hopes the relations would soon return to normal because there is not much point in neighbours fighting.
A Democrat source, who asked not to be named, said though Pheu Thai and Thaksin seem to be dropping in popularity in the short term, it is uncertain what will happen in the long run.
Pheu Thai and Thaksin were making a desperate “do-or-die” attempt to stage a comeback, the source said, and even though their approval ratings are sagging, Pheu Thai is quite happy to take the risk as long as they can topple the Democrat government.

However, it is clear that Thaksin remains very influential in the party, the source said.
“Popularity levels fluctuate greatly when a country is in crisis,” the source said. “If the country enters a war or the House is dissolved, people will soon forget where the problems started.”
Pheu Thai’s “do-or-die” measures include affecting international relations, questioning the judicial system, humiliating the government on the international platform and obstructing Parliament, the Democrat source said.

Thailand is preparing to evacuate its citizens from Cambodia if the diplomatic row between the countries worsens, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said yesterday.

“The arrest of a Thai national will not lead to closure of the embassy [in Phnom Penh]. The Thai government will ensure security for the Cambodian Embassy in Thailand and we believe Cambodia will also take care of our embassy in that country,” Suthep said.
“If bilateral relations become more violent, the government is ready to evacuate Thai citizens from Cambodia immediately,” he added.

In early 2003, the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh was burnt by rioters and several Thai-owned businesses in Cambodia were attacked following a rumour that a Thai actress had claimed the Angkor Wat temple – Cambodia’s prized cultural icon – belonged to Thailand. An evacuation of Thai citizens followed the riots.
Suthep said the government had provided legal assistance for a Thai engineer arrested in Cambodia last week on charges of spying.

Siwarak Chothipong, 31, who works at Cambodia Air Traffic Service, is accused of supplying the Thai Embassy with details of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s flight schedule, according to Cambodian police.
Thailand submitted a request to visit the detained suspect, which was being considered by Cambodia’s Interior Ministry, said officials from both countries.

“We have to see him, whatever happens,” said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Thailand’s foreign minister. “Thailand categorically denies all of the spy allegations.”
There was no reply from the Cambodian authorities yesterday, he said, adding that it was probably because it was a holiday.

Suthep told journalists that flight information on Thaksin’s journey to Cambodia was not a secret, as the Aviation Department and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand had been asked to allow his chartered jet to fly over Thai airspace.
After learning that the plane had Thaksin on board, the government refused to allow it permission to pass through Thai airspace as he has been convicted and was also facing charges of threatening national security, Suthep said.

The deputy prime minister said Thailand would use this evidence to defend Siwarak, but the government would not intervene in Cambodia’s judicial system. Initially, Samart Corp – Siwarak’s employer – sent a lawyer to assist him.
In Singapore, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that the ongoing diplomatic spat between Thailand and Cambodia would not affect cooperation among Asean members, emphasising that the problem must be solved by the two countries.

Abhisit, who is attending the 17th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting, told journalists that Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan had advised that Thailand and Cambodia should resolve the tension before the Asean leaders meet US President Barack Obama today.
He affirmed that Thailand, currently the Asean chair, would not raise the issue at the meeting.