SPYING CHARGE

No royal pardon for Veera : Cambodian PM Hun Sen

There will be no royal pardon for Veera Somkwamkid, leader of Thai Patriots Network who is sentenced to eight years in a Cambodian jail for spying, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday.

"Veera Somkwamkid was imprisoned for eight years -- it's eight years in Prey Sar prison," Xinhua news agency quoted Hun Sen as saying.

"And don't come to persuade me to ask King Norodom Sihamoni for royal pardon, it's impossible at this time.. comply with the law properly," the premier said, adding that it will serve "at least two third of the jailed term before being considered for royal amnesty."

Hun Sen was responding to reports that Veera and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, would drop their plan to appeal and instead seek royal pardon. The duo were among seven Thais arrested on December 29 last year during their inspection at a site in a border province of Sa Kaew.

The Cambodian court convicted Veera and Ratree of illegal entry, unlawful entry into military base and espionage and sentenced them to eight years and six years in jail respectively.

By Xinhua

-- The Nation 2011-02-17

Yes khun Hun Sen. Show em how to respect the law; rule of law

Somnamna!!!!!!!!

After the video (available on Youtube) where they clearly say that they KNOW they are in cambodgian territory and give a phone call Abhisit office......They wanted to play wrmongers and now they will face 6 years at least in Thailand.....what a sweet dream

A prison exchange program would be their only salvation, but what I've heard about Thai prisons, I don't know if that's much of a salvation.

Only way they will get a pardon is to cross the correct palm with gold, silver wont be enough.

The yellows should be saving their money, but then they may have to out-bid a former advisor.

The Thai engineer, Siwirak Chutipong who was sentenced to several years in jail for 'spying' on Thaksin last year certainly got his Royal pardon after a few days.

Perhaps Thaksin is going to play the same game and fly in to 'release' Weera as well. How galling for the PAD and in what poor taste that would be. But with Thaksin, anything's possible if there's some hype in it.