20-11-2010, 04:34 AM
Thailand PM cancels Russia trip, Bout link denied
Thailand’s prime minister abruptly cancelled an imminent visit to Russia on Thursday, a government spokesman said, just days after the kingdom outraged Moscow by extraditing an alleged arms dealer.
![[Image: 204237.jpg]](http://www.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20101118/204237.jpg)
Thailand’s Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, abruptly cancelled an imminent visit to Russia on Thursday, a government spokesman said, just days after the kingdom outraged Moscow by extraditing an alleged arms dealer.
Thailand expelled Viktor Bout, who is suspected of being one of the world’s biggest arms traffickers, on Tuesday to face trial in the United States after a prolonged legal battle and fierce opposition from his home country Russia.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has since cancelled a trip to Saint Petersburg to attend a summit on tigers, but spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said this was to discuss constitutional amendments and denied any link to the extradition.
“The prime minister has assigned Suwit Khunkitti, the environmental minister, to attend the summit because next week parliament will debate charter amendments,” Panitan told reporters.
“It has nothing to do with the Bout case.”
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is due to host the four-day summit, which begins on Sunday and aims to halt the decline of the big cats.
Bout’s sudden extradition came shortly after the Thai cabinet approved his handover in a move that prompted fresh fury from Moscow, which had vowed to do all it could to bring him home.
The Russian foreign ministry said his extradition was “illegal” and prompted by US pressure.
A top Russian diplomat in New York, where the suspect pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges on Wednesday, has also accused Thai authorities of taking away all of Bout’s personal possessions.
The 43-year-old former Soviet air force pilot had been fighting extradition on terrorism charges since his March 2008 arrest after a sting operation in Bangkok involving undercover US agents posing as Colombian FARC rebels.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya denied the extradition would hurt ties with Russia, despite Moscow’s dissatisfaction.
“We still enjoy a cordial relationship with Russia. We should not let this single issue affect it,” he told reporters.
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Categories : Uncategorized Russians claim Thai law was violated
19 11 2010 Russians claim Thai law was violated
Bangkok Post
The extradition of alleged arms smuggler Viktor Bout was carried out secretly and violated both international obligations and Thai law, the Russian embassy in Bangkok says.
In a statement sent to media outlets yesterday, the Russian embassy said it was “surprised” by the statement by the Foreign Ministry’s acting spokesman Thani Thongphakdi on Wednesday that Thailand had kept both Russia and the US closely informed of the Thai legal process developments.
“The Russian side, including the embassy, was not informed that the Thai government has taken the decision to extradite the Russian citizen to the US and that the extradition has actually taken place,” the embassy said.
“We have learned about it solely from the media, while the official notification … was received by the embassy only on Nov 18 [yesterday].”
The embassy also claimed the extradition was in breach of Thailand’s extradition law because the Appeal Court had accepted Mr Bout’s appeal concerning the violation of legal procedures during the consideration of the second US extradition request by the court.
“According to Section 19 of the Law on Extradition of Thailand, the Russian citizen was not to be extradited before the court has taken a decision on the said appeal,” the embassy said.
A Russian diplomat said yesterday US authorities pressured Mr Bout to admit his guilt on the way to the US, offering him unspecified benefits in return.
“Some pressure was applied in transit. In Viktor Bout’s words, they tried to ‘persuade me to admit to things I did not do’, promising certain advantages in return,” consul Andrei Yushmanov told Russian reporters in New York. “Viktor Anatolyevich rejected these efforts.”
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Tags: state terrorism
Categories : How Do We Build the Resistance?, image of the beast, The Most Moral Army In the World?
Thailand’s prime minister abruptly cancelled an imminent visit to Russia on Thursday, a government spokesman said, just days after the kingdom outraged Moscow by extraditing an alleged arms dealer.
Thailand’s Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, abruptly cancelled an imminent visit to Russia on Thursday, a government spokesman said, just days after the kingdom outraged Moscow by extraditing an alleged arms dealer. Thailand expelled Viktor Bout, who is suspected of being one of the world’s biggest arms traffickers, on Tuesday to face trial in the United States after a prolonged legal battle and fierce opposition from his home country Russia.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has since cancelled a trip to Saint Petersburg to attend a summit on tigers, but spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said this was to discuss constitutional amendments and denied any link to the extradition.
“The prime minister has assigned Suwit Khunkitti, the environmental minister, to attend the summit because next week parliament will debate charter amendments,” Panitan told reporters.
“It has nothing to do with the Bout case.”
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is due to host the four-day summit, which begins on Sunday and aims to halt the decline of the big cats.
Bout’s sudden extradition came shortly after the Thai cabinet approved his handover in a move that prompted fresh fury from Moscow, which had vowed to do all it could to bring him home.
The Russian foreign ministry said his extradition was “illegal” and prompted by US pressure.
A top Russian diplomat in New York, where the suspect pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges on Wednesday, has also accused Thai authorities of taking away all of Bout’s personal possessions.
The 43-year-old former Soviet air force pilot had been fighting extradition on terrorism charges since his March 2008 arrest after a sting operation in Bangkok involving undercover US agents posing as Colombian FARC rebels.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya denied the extradition would hurt ties with Russia, despite Moscow’s dissatisfaction.
“We still enjoy a cordial relationship with Russia. We should not let this single issue affect it,” he told reporters.
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Uncategorized Russians claim Thai law was violated
19 11 2010 Russians claim Thai law was violated
Bangkok Post
The extradition of alleged arms smuggler Viktor Bout was carried out secretly and violated both international obligations and Thai law, the Russian embassy in Bangkok says.
In a statement sent to media outlets yesterday, the Russian embassy said it was “surprised” by the statement by the Foreign Ministry’s acting spokesman Thani Thongphakdi on Wednesday that Thailand had kept both Russia and the US closely informed of the Thai legal process developments.
“The Russian side, including the embassy, was not informed that the Thai government has taken the decision to extradite the Russian citizen to the US and that the extradition has actually taken place,” the embassy said.
“We have learned about it solely from the media, while the official notification … was received by the embassy only on Nov 18 [yesterday].”
The embassy also claimed the extradition was in breach of Thailand’s extradition law because the Appeal Court had accepted Mr Bout’s appeal concerning the violation of legal procedures during the consideration of the second US extradition request by the court.
“According to Section 19 of the Law on Extradition of Thailand, the Russian citizen was not to be extradited before the court has taken a decision on the said appeal,” the embassy said.
A Russian diplomat said yesterday US authorities pressured Mr Bout to admit his guilt on the way to the US, offering him unspecified benefits in return.
“Some pressure was applied in transit. In Viktor Bout’s words, they tried to ‘persuade me to admit to things I did not do’, promising certain advantages in return,” consul Andrei Yushmanov told Russian reporters in New York. “Viktor Anatolyevich rejected these efforts.”
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: state terrorism
Categories : How Do We Build the Resistance?, image of the beast, The Most Moral Army In the World?
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