Thailand To Appeal Viktor Bout Extradition Decision

[george]

Thailand to appeal Viktor Bout extradition decision - No freedom for Merchant of Death

By John Le Fevre

BANGKOK (thaivisa.com): -- The Thai Government will launch an appeal against the decision of a Bangkok court on Tuesday to deny an extradition request by the US Government for alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Dubbed the “Merchant of Death”, the court ruled on Tuesday that it did not have the authority to punish "actions done by foreigners against other foreigners in another country,” and rejected the US application.

Today the kingdom's state prosecutor informed the court that he will lodge an appeal against the ruling, which US embassy deputy chief of mission John Entwistle had described as disappointing and mystifying on Tuesday.

Sirisak Tiyapan, executive director of international affairs at the Thai foreign office said “the prosecutor has told the court that he intends to appeal against the decision. We are in the process of seeking the official ruling”.

Despite rejecting the application by the US on Tuesday, the court ordered 42-year-old Bout remain in custody for 72-hours. Thai law allows an appeal to be lodged up to 30-days after a verdict and Bout will remain in the high-security prison he has called home since his arrest in March 2008.

Bout, a former Soviet air force officer, was arrested in a sting operation at the five-star Sofitel hotel after allegedly agreeing to supply surface-to-air missiles to US agents posing as guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

While the court acknowledged that FARC had been designated a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and the United States, it has not been designated such by Thailand, meaning that as far as Thailand was concerned it was a political movement.

The US Government indictment accuses Bout of using a fleet of cargo planes to transport weapons and military equipment sold by him to some of the world's most violent conflicts in Africa, South America and the Middle East, resulting in the deaths of millions of people.

Since his arrest Bout has constantly denied any involvement in the sales or shipments of weapons, or to having been a former KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti) officer.

If extradited to the US Bout faces life in prison if convicted there on terrorism charges.

-- thaivisa.com 2009-08-13

[LaoPo]

Thailand is being squeezed between two superpowers....

LaoPo

[animatic]

This was obviously coming.

[andyc2006]

Maybe if they realized that the precedent they're setting will not only encourage a few more foreigners to come live here, but the WORST foreigners, they'd reconsider.

"We welcome all criminals, so long as the crime wasn't committed on Thai soil or against a Thai national."

[RKASA]

Stick a fork in him, he's done.  Even if he does leave Thailand a free man it won't last long.

[smallprawn]

Maybe if they realized that the precedent they're setting will not only encourage a few more foreigners to come live here, but the WORST foreigners, they'd reconsider.

"We welcome all criminals, so long as the crime wasn't committed on Thai soil or against a Thai national."

I agree the precedent set is quite confusing and I am not suprised Mr Entwhistle found the courts response bewildering. (The Courts seem have a canny Knack of embarresing both themselves and their country)

To state that Thailands courts have now power to 'punish actions done by a forigner to another forigner in a different country' could only be read as a green light to those forigners in question.

The courts, their security and the courts support ( ie the family that masquerades itself as the backbone of Thailand ) will soon come under scrutiny and, in my opinion, deservidly so.

Nobody is asking any Thai court to punish this man. Only to extradite him to face charges.

[IAMSOBAD]

Is Thailand a member of the UN? If it is then they should honor the fact that the UN considers Bout a threat and an arms dealer responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Let him go to court in the USA and prove he is just an airline executive. Anyone who believes his crap I have some swamp land to sell you. How could any human being want this killer to be set free?

[dale8]

Hello, the best interests of Thailand would be better served by the extradition to the US as Thailand will be known as a safe haven for every criminal with money for an attorney. Maybe the courts need to see the light as the prosecuters did not prove their case, and there must be some conditions Bout will be guilty of like conspiracy in the hotel room in Bangkok. Cheers.

[Thai at Heart]

He was on the Interpol wanted list.

This decision was one of the strangest and yes it would mean that there is green light for criminals to hide here. They extradite people every day and yet this guy slips through the net. Makes you wonder........$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[andyc2006]

Anyone who believes his crap I have some swamp land to sell you.

TV already has both a classifieds forum and a forum for the new airport. Please try not to cross-post.

Anyway, didn't you already sell that to AOT?

[grantbkk]

Thailand is already known as a safe haven for criminals. Why do you think Bangkok was chosen as the meeting place for yet another meeting between terrorist and arms merchant? This time Vic unknowingly was meeting with undercover operators rather than FARC terrorists. His bad luck is a result of normal cooperation of the US State Department, US Drug Enforcement Administration and Thailand's government in place at the time of the arrest.

I wonder how many meetings and deals involving weapons, drugs and human trafficking are conducted daily around Thailand?

Edited August 14, 2009 by grantbkk

[animatic]

Thailand is already known as a safe haven for criminals. Why do you think Bangkok was chosen as the meeting place for yet another meeting between terrorist and arms merchant? This time Vic unknowingly was meeting with undercover operators rather than FARC terrorists. His bad luck is a result of normal cooperation of the US State Department, US Drug Enforcement Administration and Thailand's government in place at the time of the arrest.

I wonder how many meetings and deals involving weapons, drugs and human trafficking are conducted daily around Thailand?

Exactly.

Bout no doubt got a pastry box slid about.

But more so, there was not enough quid pro quo going on behind the scenes

and it hadn't sufficiently filtered down to the judge.

Interesting point; Thailand is appealing against their own judge....

This forces USA and Russia to up their offers...

Checkbook diplomacy is a Bangkok tradition.

Edited August 14, 2009 by animatic

[TAWP]

Is Thailand a member of the UN? If it is then they should honor the fact that the UN considers Bout a threat and an arms dealer responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Let him go to court in the USA and prove he is just an airline executive. Anyone who believes his crap I have some swamp land to sell you. How could any human being want this killer to be set free?

1) US does not have any court that represents the position of UN. The closest thing would be the international court of Hag. That the US doesn't recognize. Sign papers or <deleted>.

2) Bout isn't accused of killing anyone, so calling him a killer or 'criminal against humanity' [sic] as was done in another thread is just ridiculous hyperbole. He was/am an arms-dealer.

[Briggsy]

He was on the Interpol wanted list.

This decision was one of the strangest and yes it would mean that there is green light for criminals to hide here. They extradite people every day and yet this guy slips through the net. Makes you wonder........$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Not strange at all, massive bung from the Russians or Bout or both gets denial of extradition.

Thai government appeals the decision following massive bung from the Americans. Minister and State Prosecutor are quids in.

Appeals Court judge then seeks bung .......

Another appeal to Supreme Court....

And the gravy train rolls on

And several Thai judges, politicians, civil servants and don't forget the lawyers become seriously better-off.

Nothing strange at all. This is standard operating procedure in Thailand.

[LomSak27]

Or Thailand is doing the sensible thing, showing the US and UN they care about international justice, while extracting maximum in diplomatic benifits and cash from Russia, who would be very embarrased if this thing went to trial.

[cloudhopper]

We'll just have to let this work it's way up through the supremes to the end before we know what they really have planned for him.

[ntfeeney]

We'll just have to let this work it's way up through the supremes to the end before we know what they really have planned for him.

He won't receive a fair trial if he goes to New York, already having been labeled a terrorist. He's been accused of threatening the US. He is not interested in harming the US, unlike countless other people in the world.

Is FARC really a terrorist organization? Does Thailand have the legal jurisdiction to send him away, when they've not charged him with anything?

I am hoping he gets back to Russia soon. I love the USA (my home), but I disagree with the government on this issue. Send him home.

[Plus]

Farc IS a terrorist organisation, in the US and most of the West. But in Thailand? I don't think there is that kind of official list the court can refer to.

The court han'ts been asked to rule on whether dealing with Farc would consitutite terrorist activity, Farc was not on trial there.

[ntfeeney]

Farc IS a terrorist organisation, in the US and most of the West. But in Thailand? I don't think there is that kind of official list the court can refer to.

The court han'ts been asked to rule on whether dealing with Farc would consitutite terrorist activity, Farc was not on trial there.

It did rule regarding if dealing with FARC would constitute terrorist activity - it named FARC as a political organization or movement, which would disregard any issue about dealing with terrorists. Anyone can be a terrorist according to different governing bodies. If he were supplying terrorists, Thailand might extradite him. If he was selling to an established political group, they might not. That's why it's important.

Even if there is no list, they ruled last Tuesday (possibly to be upheld) that FARC is political, not terrorist.

[Briggsy]

It's pointless to discuss the legal minutiae for 2 very obvious reasons.

The Thai judicial system allows judges to interpret the law any way they see fit. It is very different from a Western judicial system in which precedents, and sentencing guidelines are closely followed.

This case is inherently political and the judges will be in close consultation with the government following the script laid out by them. This script, like everything else here, can change at the drop of a hat or changeover of officials and post-holders.

[ntfeeney]

It's pointless to discuss the legal minutiae for 2 very obvious reasons.

The Thai judicial system allows judges to interpret the law any way they see fit. It is very different from a Western judicial system in which precedents, and sentencing guidelines are closely followed.

This case is inherently political and the judges will be in close consultation with the government following the script laid out by them. This script, like everything else here, can change at the drop of a hat or changeover of officials and post-holders.

Well-spoken comment. Your points have been We'll see how the powers that be decide to handle (or be handled by) this case.

Go Vik Go!

[jasreeve17]

It's pointless to discuss the legal minutiae for 2 very obvious reasons.

The Thai judicial system allows judges to interpret the law any way they see fit. It is very different from a Western judicial system in which precedents, and sentencing guidelines are closely followed.

This case is inherently political and the judges will be in close consultation with the government following the script laid out by them. This script, like everything else here, can change at the drop of a hat or changeover of officials and post-holders.

Briggsy is so obviously correct on this issue that further comment seems pointless...