Government, wants, the, case, away

The Bangkok Post reports:

"I believe Mr Sivarak does not want the case to cause more problems," Mr Abhisit said. "I would like this problem to conclude now."

Atiya in the Bangkok Post argues that the biggest loser is Kasit:

If the flight data was public information (as it obviously was) why did its staff have to bother Sivarak in the first place? It's true that the claim is according to Sivarak's testimony to the Phnom Penh court, but the ministry has neither confirmed nor denied the allegation. It has not come out to clearly state what actually happened: did it, or did it not ask Sivarak to supply the information? With the tension between the two countries making headlines every day, there is also this question: Shouldn't our Foreign Ministry know better than to put one of our citizens at risk?

So, PM Hun Sen is as much to blame as the Thai government in cooking up the spy charge; but as head of the organisation whose staff was implicated in the arrest and trial of a fellow Thai man without adequate reason or clear defence, FM Kasit should show his spirit.
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Whether Sivarak's trial, conviction and pardon is part of a grand production scripted by former PM Thaksin with the cooperation of PM Hun Sen, has yet to be determined. There is no doubt, however, that the incident has exposed the Thai Foreign Ministry.

Which brings up the serious question of whether Thai citizens can trust that our Foreign Ministry knows what it is doing - when it obviously did not know enough to prevent Sivarak from falling in harm's way. Seriously, would any ordinary citizen willingly cooperate or help the ministry if asked, knowing they run the risk of being caught in a quagmire or written off as collateral damage? Sivarak has paid the price of fulfilling his duty as a "good citizen" by spending sleepless nights in a Cambodian jail. Now, shouldn't FM Kasit pay for the less than foolproof operation at his ministry, too?

BP: Government spokesman Panitan is quoted in Matichon as stating that the First Secretary will talk to the media in the next 1-2 days, but until he does and also talk to the engineer. This is really the last unresolved question on this issue, why did the First Secretary telephone Sivarak? If he provides an adequate explanation and that he didn't know it would get Sivarak in trouble, the heat can come off the Foreign Ministry. BP is of the view that trying to find out which plane Thaksin was on is not unreasonable for a diplomat to do. It is just that by his actions, he placed a Thai citizen in legal jeopardy. It is really this he needs to explain. It is just the silence on this issue which creates so many unanswered questions.