Bangkok: Protest Against Arrest of Thais in Cambodia

About 400 protesters rallied outside Bangkok's Government House on Thursday… demanding the government speed up the process of seeking the release of a group of Thais detained in Cambodia.

Protesters from the Thailand Patriot Network, a splinter group of the People's Alliance for Democracy, set up the temporary shelters outside the premier's office.

They condemned Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on their failure to free the detainees.

The seven Thais were charged on December 30th in Cambodia, with illegal entry and encroachment when they entered a disputed territory along the border.

Offences carry a maximum sentence of 18 months.

Two of them have been released on bail, but have to stay at the Thai Embassy in Cambodia until the trial.

Cambodian prosecutors have filed additional espionage charges against a coordinator of the Thai Patriots Network and his secretary for attempting to collect information that is detrimental to Cambodia's national defense.

Espionage carries a sentence of five to 10 years.

Ties between the two countries have warmed in recent months in the wake of diplomatic spats over jurisdiction of land surrounding a 900-year-old temple and Cambodia's decision to employ former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962, but Thailand claims much of the land surrounding it.