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The Nation -Surin dismisses charges

Subject: The Nation -Surin dismisses charges he's tied to terrorists

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The Nation - Dec 21, 1999.
Headlines=20

Surin dismisses charges he's tied to terrorists

FOREIGN Minister Surin Pitsuwan yesterday slammed opposition leader Gen =
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, saying his accusation linking him to one of =
Cambodian's most wanted fugitive and other terrorists groups was =
''absolutely baseless''.=20

Chavalit had implied Surin may be helping fugitive Sok Yuen take refuge =
in Thailand, and said the minister had associated himself with a =
Cambodian group with ties to Osama bin Laden alleged by the US to be the =
mastermind behind the bombings of two US embassies in Africa.=20

The unnamed Cambodian group had also provided arms to a group of Burmese =
dissidents who lay siege to the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, Chavalit =
told Parliament.=20

Surin dismissed the accusations. He said Cambodian ambassador to =
Thailand Ung Sean has confirmed that there is no information involving =
him with Sok Yuen who is wanted in Cambodia for a 1998 assassination =
attempt on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.=20

''The assumption that the various issues mentioned by Chavalit -- the =
Burmese terrorists, bin Laden, ThaiOil -- were all linked, is =
ridiculous,'' he said.=20

The accusations were strung together with ''no coherency, no logic, no =
reason''.=20

''It's a bumbling-rambling of a person who appeared to be under some =
sort of pressure to explain something, in spite of the fact that it was =
entirely baseless,'' Surin said.=20

He said Thai officials listened to the tape, used as evidence by =
Chavalit in the House to back up his claim, on Sunday to transcribe the =
conversation, but no other information could be obtained except for the =
conversations between the two voices.=20

Surin said the tape, which was poorly recorded, only revealed a =
conversation between two people with one calling the other president.=20

The two voices were assumed to be that of Cambodia opposition leader Sam =
Rainsy who heads the Sam Rainsy Party. And the other of Sok Yuen who =
asked Rainsy to approach Surin to help hasten his application with the =
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok.=20

Surin said bilateral relations between Thailand and Cambodia will not be =
affected by Chavalit's allegation.=20

The only thing the opposition has achieved is creating more confusion =
and triggered further inquiries from the media, he said.=20

The Cambodian government issued an arrest warrant for Sok Yuen two =
months ago.=20

Chavalit claimed he got the taped conversation through his years-long =
experience in dealing with military intelligence penetration.=20

But Supreme Commander Gen Mongkol Ampornphisit said yesterday that he =
had no information that Surin was linked to the Cambodian political =
group mentioned by Chavalit.=20

Mongkol said military intelligence circles also confirmed that Sok Yuen =
was not in Thailand.=20

The senior army official said the Cambodian leader and government =
officials did not mention Sok Yuen's case during Cambodian Prime =
Minister Hun Sen's unofficial visit to Thailand last week.=20

Hun Sen visited Thailand from Dec 16 to 18 as a guest of Mongkol.=20

Mongkol also denied that the group supplied arms to the armed Burmese =
students, saying the suppliers were from the west of Thailand.=20

The Nation=20


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT =
size=3D+1><B>The Nation=20
- Dec 21, 1999.</B></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT=20
size=3D+1><B>Headlines</B></FONT> <FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT =
size=3D+2></DIV>
<P>
<H2><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D4>Surin dismisses charges he's tied to=20
terrorists</FONT></H2></FONT><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT size=3D+.5>
<P>
<P>FOREIGN Minister Surin Pitsuwan yesterday slammed opposition leader =
Gen=20
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, saying his accusation linking him to one of =
Cambodian's=20
most wanted fugitive and other terrorists groups was ''absolutely =
baseless''.=20
<P>Chavalit had implied Surin may be helping fugitive Sok Yuen take =
refuge in=20
Thailand, and said the minister had associated himself with a Cambodian =
group=20
with ties to Osama bin Laden alleged by the US to be the mastermind =
behind the=20
bombings of two US embassies in Africa.=20
<P>The unnamed Cambodian group had also provided arms to a group of =
Burmese=20
dissidents who lay siege to the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, Chavalit =
told=20
Parliament.=20
<P>Surin dismissed the accusations. He said Cambodian ambassador to =
Thailand Ung=20
Sean has confirmed that there is no information involving him with Sok =
Yuen who=20
is wanted in Cambodia for a 1998 assassination attempt on Cambodian =
Prime=20
Minister Hun Sen.=20
<P>''The assumption that the various issues mentioned by Chavalit -- the =
Burmese=20
terrorists, bin Laden, ThaiOil -- were all linked, is ridiculous,'' he =
said.=20
<P>The accusations were strung together with ''no coherency, no logic, =
no=20
reason''.=20
<P>''It's a bumbling-rambling of a person who appeared to be under some =
sort of=20
pressure to explain something, in spite of the fact that it was entirely =

baseless,'' Surin said.=20
<P>He said Thai officials listened to the tape, used as evidence by =
Chavalit in=20
the House to back up his claim, on Sunday to transcribe the =
conversation, but no=20
other information could be obtained except for the conversations between =
the two=20
voices.=20
<P>Surin said the tape, which was poorly recorded, only revealed a =
conversation=20
between two people with one calling the other president.=20
<P>The two voices were assumed to be that of Cambodia opposition leader =
Sam=20
Rainsy who heads the Sam Rainsy Party. And the other of Sok Yuen who =
asked=20
Rainsy to approach Surin to help hasten his application with the United =
Nations=20
High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok.=20
<P>Surin said bilateral relations between Thailand and Cambodia will not =
be=20
affected by Chavalit's allegation.=20
<P>The only thing the opposition has achieved is creating more confusion =
and=20
triggered further inquiries from the media, he said.=20
<P>The Cambodian government issued an arrest warrant for Sok Yuen two =
months=20
ago.=20
<P>Chavalit claimed he got the taped conversation through his years-long =

experience in dealing with military intelligence penetration.=20
<P>But Supreme Commander Gen Mongkol Ampornphisit said yesterday that he =
had no=20
information that Surin was linked to the Cambodian political group =
mentioned by=20
Chavalit.=20
<P>Mongkol said military intelligence circles also confirmed that Sok =
Yuen was=20
not in Thailand.=20
<P>The senior army official said the Cambodian leader and government =
officials=20
did not mention Sok Yuen's case during Cambodian Prime Minister Hun =
Sen's=20
unofficial visit to Thailand last week.=20
<P>Hun Sen visited Thailand from Dec 16 to 18 as a guest of Mongkol.=20
<P>Mongkol also denied that the group supplied arms to the armed Burmese =

students, saying the suppliers were from the west of Thailand.=20
<P>The Nation </P></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>

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