16/11/2009 (AFP)Phnom Penh - Cambodia and Thailand reignited their diplomatic row on Monday over fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, giving disputing accounts over consular visits to a Thai man accused of spying.
The Cambodian foreign ministry said a Thai embassy official was allowed on Monday to visit Siwarak Chothipong, 31, who was arrested Thursday on charges of supplying details of Thaksin's flight schedule to his country's embassy.
But Bangkok, already furious over Phnom Penh's refusal to extradite Thaksin when he visited Cambodia last week, denied that its diplomats had been granted access to the man, an employee at the Cambodia Air Traffic Service.
'Today, we agreed to allow (a Thai diplomat) to visit the man at 2pm (0700 GMT, 3pm Singapore time) in the prison where he is being temporarily detained,' Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told AFP.
The spy allegations prompted Phnom Penh to expel the Thai embassy's first secretary on Thursday and Thailand reciprocated hours later.
Thaksin, who visited under his new role as economic adviser to Cambodia, left the country on Saturday, ending a contentious four-day visit that deepened a diplomatic storm between already bickering Bangkok and Phnom Penh.
16 November 2009
UAE gets Thaksins deails
16/11/2009 (AFP) Bangkok - Thailand said on Monday it had passed information to the United Arab Emirates proving that Thaksin Shinawatra is living in Dubai, as Bangkok pushes to bring home the fugitive former premier.
A Thai foreign ministry official met the Emirati envoy to Bangkok to discuss Mr Thaksin, who was toppled in a bloodless 2006 coup and lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a jail term for corruption. The move came days after Cambodia turned down a request from Thailand for the extradition of Mr Thaksin, who had visited the neighbouring country to take up a new role as an economic adviser.
Mr Thaksin has said he spends much of his time in Dubai. Thailand has previously sought the UAE's assistance but the two countries have not signed an extradition treaty.
Panich Vikitsreth, vice minister at the Thai ministry, said he had 'briefly' met UAE ambassador Mohammed Ali Ahmed Omran Al Shamsi on Monday 'to discuss information related to Thaksin'.
'We submitted information showing that the former premier has been located there,' Mr Panich told AFP. 'The ambassador responded very warmly to our information. He affirmed the UAE's principle that it will not allow anyone to use it as a political base to attack other countries.'
He said the details provided included an interview with British newspaper The Times, which had taken place in Dubai, and comments from a Thaksin aide who said the ex-premier left Cambodia for Dubai on Saturday.
A Thai foreign ministry official met the Emirati envoy to Bangkok to discuss Mr Thaksin, who was toppled in a bloodless 2006 coup and lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a jail term for corruption. The move came days after Cambodia turned down a request from Thailand for the extradition of Mr Thaksin, who had visited the neighbouring country to take up a new role as an economic adviser.
Mr Thaksin has said he spends much of his time in Dubai. Thailand has previously sought the UAE's assistance but the two countries have not signed an extradition treaty.
Panich Vikitsreth, vice minister at the Thai ministry, said he had 'briefly' met UAE ambassador Mohammed Ali Ahmed Omran Al Shamsi on Monday 'to discuss information related to Thaksin'.
'We submitted information showing that the former premier has been located there,' Mr Panich told AFP. 'The ambassador responded very warmly to our information. He affirmed the UAE's principle that it will not allow anyone to use it as a political base to attack other countries.'
He said the details provided included an interview with British newspaper The Times, which had taken place in Dubai, and comments from a Thaksin aide who said the ex-premier left Cambodia for Dubai on Saturday.
Grenade caused Thai rally blast
16/11/2009 (AFP) Bangkok - Thai police said on Monday that a grenade was responsible for a blast at a rally by opponents of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, as the number of injured rose to 12.
Organisers said the small explosion at the protest in central Bangkok late on Sunday was caused by a firecracker thrown by men on a motorcycle, but police said they now believed it was a more serious attack.
The rally by around 20,000 'Yellow Shirts' was held to condemn Thaksin's visit to neighbouring Cambodia last week and his appointment by Phnom Penh as a an economic adviser to the government.
'This M-79 grenade was likely fired from the side of the venue, where the defence ministry and a court are located,' said Lieutenant General Worapong Chewpreecha, chief of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, who added that of the 12 people wounded in the blast three remained in hospital, one of them in intensive care. Two children were among those hurt, he said.
Yellow Shirt founder Sondhi Limthongkul said on Sunday that two men on a motorbike had thrown a large firecracker, which caused the explosion.
The royalist PAD said they were also protesting against comments about the monarchy made by billionaire Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006. The Yellow Shirts held mass rallies in the months before the coup and took to the streets again in 2008, blockading Bangkok's airports to drive out the then pro-Thaksin government.
Organisers said the small explosion at the protest in central Bangkok late on Sunday was caused by a firecracker thrown by men on a motorcycle, but police said they now believed it was a more serious attack.
The rally by around 20,000 'Yellow Shirts' was held to condemn Thaksin's visit to neighbouring Cambodia last week and his appointment by Phnom Penh as a an economic adviser to the government.
'This M-79 grenade was likely fired from the side of the venue, where the defence ministry and a court are located,' said Lieutenant General Worapong Chewpreecha, chief of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, who added that of the 12 people wounded in the blast three remained in hospital, one of them in intensive care. Two children were among those hurt, he said.
Yellow Shirt founder Sondhi Limthongkul said on Sunday that two men on a motorbike had thrown a large firecracker, which caused the explosion.
The royalist PAD said they were also protesting against comments about the monarchy made by billionaire Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006. The Yellow Shirts held mass rallies in the months before the coup and took to the streets again in 2008, blockading Bangkok's airports to drive out the then pro-Thaksin government.
Thai rally blast probed
16/11/2009(AFP)Bangkok - Thai police were investigating Monday a blast at a rally by opponents of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, as the number of injured rose to 12, including two children.
Organisers said the small explosion at the protest in central Bangkok late Sunday was caused by a firecracker thrown by two men on a motorcycle, but police said the cause was still not clear.
The rally by around 20,000 'Yellow Shirts' was held to condemn Thaksin's visit to neighbouring Cambodia last week and his appointment by Phnom Penh as a an economic adviser to the government.
Deputy national police spokesman colonel Piya Utayo said police were continuing to investigate the blast. He said 12 people including two boys were wounded, updating an overnight toll of four hurt.
Photographs of the scene showed a small crater in a paving stone and a number of supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) suffering from slight cuts. The royalist PAD said they were also protesting against comments about the monarchy made by billionaire Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006.
The Yellow Shirts held mass rallies in the months before the coup and took to the streets again in 2008, blockading Bangkok's airports to drive out the then pro-Thaksin government.
Organisers said the small explosion at the protest in central Bangkok late Sunday was caused by a firecracker thrown by two men on a motorcycle, but police said the cause was still not clear.
The rally by around 20,000 'Yellow Shirts' was held to condemn Thaksin's visit to neighbouring Cambodia last week and his appointment by Phnom Penh as a an economic adviser to the government.
Deputy national police spokesman colonel Piya Utayo said police were continuing to investigate the blast. He said 12 people including two boys were wounded, updating an overnight toll of four hurt.
Photographs of the scene showed a small crater in a paving stone and a number of supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) suffering from slight cuts. The royalist PAD said they were also protesting against comments about the monarchy made by billionaire Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006.
The Yellow Shirts held mass rallies in the months before the coup and took to the streets again in 2008, blockading Bangkok's airports to drive out the then pro-Thaksin government.
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