Thai PM to seek release of two Thai activists jailed in Cambodia

[News_Editor]

Thai PM to seek release of two Thai activists jailed in Cambodia

2011-09-11 00:02:20 GMT+7 (ICT)

BANGKOK (BNO NEWS) -- Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra plans to seek the release of two Thai activists jailed in a Cambodian prison during her one-day official visit to Phnom Penh on Thursday, Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said on Saturday.

Surapong said the premier is scheduled to meet her Cambodian counterpart during her introductory visit, which is customary for the new leader of the country, and may use the opportunity to help secure the release of the activists. Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, from the Thailand Patriot Network, are detained in a Cambodian jail for illegal entry and spying charges, according to the Thai News Agency.

A Cambodian court on February 1 ruled that Veera and his secretary Ratree were guilty of espionage, illegal entry, and trespassing in a military zone. Veera was sentenced to eight years in jail and a 1.8 million riel ($450) fine, while Ratree was handed a six-year jail term and a 1.2 million riel ($300) fine.

The prime minister began her official overseas trips in Brunei on Saturday. She is scheduled to make her first official visit to Indonesia on Monday, and on Thursday she will visit the Cambodian capital and fly to Laos the following day, according to the news agency.

Yingluck, a top-party list Pheu Thai Member of Parliament, was elected prime minister on August 5 by a majority vote in the House of Representatives. The youngest sister of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra became Thailand's 28th Prime Minister and the first female to occupy the position.

The new premier will face an uphill task to steer the country out of years of deep-rooted divide and revitalize its economy amid the financial situation in the United States and Europe. She has also pledged to restore national reconciliation and unity.

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