7 Thais illegally enter Cambodia to be brought to justice: Cambodian PM

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) — Seven Thai nationals have been arrested for illegal entering to measure land in Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province, said Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday.
“They are in the yellow shirt group. Among the seven arrested Thais include two Thai lawmakers and journalist,” said Hun Sen during closing the national conference of the Ministry of Rural Development on Wednesday afternoon, adding that one of them was the Thailand Patriot Network core member Veera Somkwamkid.
“They entered to measure Cambodian territory illegally,” he said.
“Thai lawmakers have immunity only in Thai territory, but when they enter Cambodian territory to measure so-called Thai land in Cambodia’s land, it’s illegal, so Cambodia has the right to arrest.”
“If it is on your land, you can do whatever you want, but it is on Cambodian land, Cambodia has to do it based on the law,” he said.
“This time, there is no any excuse for them, they will be sentenced according to the law,” he said, adding that “now they have been escorting to Phnom Penh and will be detained at the immigration police department tonight and tomorrow (Thursday), they will be sent to Phnom Penh Municipal Court for accusation.
“What case of accusation the court will charge them for is the jurisdiction of the court,” he said. Thai lawmakers are not supported by the immunity in Cambodian land, he stressed.
However, Hun Sen said that “I think that Thai prime minister and Thai people will understand our approach and what we are doing. And I don’t think the event will affect Cambodia and Thai diplomatic relations or cause new border disputes.”
The Cambodian-Thai border has never been fully demarcated. And the two sides have had border conflict just one week after Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Temple was registered as World Heritage Site in July 2008.
Since the conflict started, military standoff has been on and off along the two countries’ border and several military clashes have already happened with recorded small causalities from both sides.
However, the border issue has been eased as the top leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have held four meetings since September. Enditem