Matichon reports that Thai engineer Sivarak Chothipong was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. 

The Nation:

Sivarak was ruled guilty in accordance with article 19 of the 2005 Archives Law which cover information on national security and social order.

The Cambodian court started the trial at about 8.15am on Tuesday. Sivarak was charged of spying the flight plans of Thaksin in November.

A presiding judge started the trial with Sivarak’s defending and testimonies of witnesses from both sides. Earlier reports speculated that the court is possibly giving the verdict today.

Sivarak , 31, an employee of the Cambodia Air Traffic Service which controlled air traffic in Cambodia, rejected an allegation that he sent the flight plans of Thaksin to Thai Embassy’s First Secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai.

“I knew the first secretary only for about two years and rarely contacted him,” he told the court.

On the day that Thaksin arrived in Phnom Penh, that diplomat telephoned him and asked whether it was true that Thaksin arrived in the Cambodian capital.

“I am authorised to know that kind of information, so I checked it with a Khmer staff who confirmed Thaksin had arrived. That staff even gave me a copy of the flight plan,” he said.

Sivarak said he did not pass on the copy to Kamrob.

Two other employees from the Cambodia Air Traffic Service testified that Siwarak asked them about the flight schedule. 

Thai Rath reports the court as stating that there was sufficient evidence to believe that the engineer had sent Thaksin’s flight plan to an official at the Thai Embassy (ได้ส่งข้อมูลตารางการบินของ พ.ต.ท.ทักษิณ ให้กับเจ้าหน้าที่ของสถานเอกอัครราชทูตไทย ประจำกรุงพนมเปญ).

ASTV Manager reports Foreign Minister Kasit’s private secretary as stating that if an appeal is not filed that the government will immediately submit a petition for Siwarak and don’t expect it will take long (ด้าน นายชวนนท์ อินทรโกมาลสุตย์ เลขานุการรัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงการต่างประเทศ กล่าวภายหลังศาลกัมพูชาพิพากษาจำคุก นายศิวรักษ์ ชุติพงษ์ วิศวกรชาวไทย ว่า ต้องรอการตัดสินใจจากครอบครัวนายศิวรักษ์ ว่าจะยื่นอุทธรณ์คดีหรือไม่ หากไม่ยื่นอุทธรณ์รัฐบาลจะยื่นขอพระราชทานอภัยโทษให้นายศิวรักษ์ ทันที คาดว่าใช้เวลาไม่นาน).

BP: The pardon solution is the only option left. It is unlikely he will appeal, as it will delay the inevitable, a petition will be submitted and he will be home by the end of the year. 

btw, you will notice the Thai government’s enthusiasm for submitting a pardon on behalf of someone else….