Cambodia pardons one of two Thai political detainees

CAMBODIA, January 10 (TNA) - Cambodia has pardoned one of two Thai political activists and mitigated jail term for the other, both were earlier sentenced on charges related to unsettled border issues between Thailand and the neighbouring country. The Cambodian Foreign Ministry issued an official statement on January 10, announcing that a Thai woman, Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, has now been royally pardoned by Cambodian King Narodom Sihamoni and a Thai man, Veera Somkwamkid, has been commuted his imprisonment. The Cambodian Foreign Ministry said that Ratree will be freed during the royal cremation of the late Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk early next month, when Veera's jail term will also be reduced to six months, acknowledging that the moves were in response to Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's request during the ASEAN Summit 2012, hosted by Phnom Penh last May. According to the Cambodian Foreign Ministry statement, the Cambodian Justice Ministry is proceeding official and legal procedures in accordance with the royal pardon and the Cambodian government's decision. The two Thai detainees were arrested by Cambodian authorities on December 29, 2010 on charges of espionage and illegal entry into the Cambodian soil. In early 2012, Ratree and Veera were sentenced by a Cambodian court to a six-year and an eight-year imprisonment respectively and they have been, since then, jailed at the Prey Sar Prison on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital. (TNA)