File photo : Veera and Ratree |
January 10, 2013
The Nation
Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday confirmed that Cambodia has reduced the prison terms of one of the two Thai activists jailed on espionage charges and granted amnesty to the other.
Yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid was sentenced to eight years in
prison and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon to six years after being arrested
along with other Thais on December 2011. The other were freed after a
Cambodian court suspended their jail terms.
Yingluck said the Cambodian government has informed the Thai foreign
ministry that yellowshirt activist Veera Somkwamkid's prison term would
be reduced by six months as the first step. When the time comes,
Cambodia would be asked to free him, she added.
For Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, amnesty was granted so she would be freed, she said.
The amnesty and the reduction followed a meeting between Yingluck and Hun Sen.
"On behalf of the Thai government, we would like to thank Cambodia for
taking care of the cases and granting the amnesty for the benefits of
the bilateral relations," she said.
Earlier Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tohvichakchaikul said on Thursday
that Cambodia was prepared to grant amnesty and reduce the prison terms
for the Thai pair.
Speaking during an official visit to Pakistan, Surapong said Cambodia would confirm the matter soon.
Khmer media had quoted a Cambodian Foreign Ministry statement as saying
that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had instructed the Justice
Ministry to seek ways of giving amnesty to Veera and Ratree.
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