FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Cambodian court to start hearing Wanchalerm case today

Cambodian court to start hearing Wanchalerm case today

A Cambodian court will begin hearings on Tuesday into the disappearance of Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a Thai activist and political exile, who disappeared from Phnom Penh in the middle of the year.

Thanee Saengrat, director-general of the Department of Information and spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Thai authorities have coordinated closely with their Cambodian counterparts as soon as they had learned of Wanchalearm's disappearance in June 2020.
The Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh had sent a letter to the relevant authorities in Cambodia requesting cooperation to investigate the matter after hearing the news, Thanee said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is concerned about the well-being of Wanchalearm which is considered an important mission of the ministry to provide consular assistance to Thai people in foreign countries in distress as well as coordinating and giving advice to Wanchalerm's sister, Sitanan Satsaksit, Thanee said.
Recently, the ministry facilitated through the Department of Consular Affairs and the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh for Wanchalerm's sister to travel to Cambodia to provide information to the judge after receiving an invitation from the Phnom Penh Civil Court.
"Thai authorities cannot express any opinion on the case since it is under investigation in Cambodia," Thanee said.
On Tuesday, the Cambodian court will arrange a preliminary examination for the first time in the case of Wanchalerm.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Thailand was committed to the rule of law and human rights principles in accordance with its obligations and related international laws to which Thailand was a partner.
"The Thai government has a constitutional duty to protect and oversee the interests of all Thais.
"The Thai government has made every effort to facilitate through the relevant government agencies so that the legal process can go well in the search for Wanchalerm," Thanee said.

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