Cambodian court on Tuesday handed down an eight-year jail term and a 1.8 million riel (US$450) fine for Veera Somkwamkid

PHNOM PENH, Feb 1 – A Cambodian court on Tuesday handed down an eight-year jail term and a 1.8 million riel (US$450) fine for Veera Somkwamkid, a key activist of a Thai nationalist movement and a six-year jail term and a 1.2 million riel (US$300) fine for his secretary.

The pair were told they can appeal within a month.

After about ten hours of hearing and questioning, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court ruled that Veera Somkwamkid, coordinator of the Thai Patriots Network, and his secretary, Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, were guilty of espionage, illegal entry and trespassing in a military zone.

Both were taken to Prey Sar prison immediately after the ruling.
Ms Ratree had earlier been granted bail and stayed at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.
The convicts can lodge an appeal against the Tuesday ruling to the Appeals Court.

Earlier Mr Veera testified in the court, denying all charges. He argued that he was detained by Cambodian soldiers on Thai territory on Dec 29. Ms Ratree conceded that a recorded video that Cambodian authorities seized and used as evidence for spying charge belonged to her, but said the video recording was not for spying on Cambodian troop information as charged.

In the closing statement, the Cambodian prosecutor said the evidence showed that the two had trespassed about 150 metres into Cambodian territory, based on the French colonial surveyed 1:200,000-scale map of 1907 and intentionally entered the military zone to gather information that was considered a threat to Cambodian security.

The two were among the seven Thais, including Democrat member of parliament for Bangkok Panich Vikitsreth, who were arrested Dec 29 by the Cambodian authorities for illegal entry in Banteay Meanchey province.

The five returned to Thailand after the Cambodian court on Jan 21 ruled that they were guilty of illegal entry and intentionally trespassing into Cambodian territory. They were sentenced to nine-month suspended jail terms and fines of one million riel (US$250) each. (MCOT online news)