A Cambodian gets two years in jail

The Kantharalak Court on Tuesday handed down two-year jail terms each to a Thai national, a Cambodian and a Vietnamese after finding them guilty of spying along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The three men are Suchart Muhammad, a 32-year-old Thai Muslim, Cambodian citizen Ung Kimtai, 43, and Nguyen Teng Yang, 37, a Vietnamese national. They were arrested on June 7 in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district while they were driving a pickup truck in an area controlled by the Thai military along the border near the Preah Vihear temple.


The three were carrying maps with military bases marked on them. "The accused have pleaded not guilty, but the documents and evidence that were found in their possession lead the court to conclude that they were engaged in spying, and it sentences them to two years in jail each,'' the Kantharalak Court ruled, according to television reports. In addition to being jailed for spying, Suchart, the Thai, was also given a four-month jail term for using drugs while driving. Ung Kimtai, the Cambodian, was given an additional three months for using drugs.

A Cambodian representative and the first secretary of the Vietnamese embassy in Thailand were present to hear the court verdict, so were relatives of the three men and representatives of the Suranaree Task Force. Lawyers for the Cambodian and Vietnamese men said they would appeal the verdict. By Bangkok Post September 6, 2011