Espionage claim

A Cambodian migrant worker who was arrested by Thai military police after he was suspected of spying on a military installation remains in custody pending investigation, Cambodian officials said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said Yean Vuth, 46, was arrested in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province on Saturday while he was walking past a military base. He was due to be released yesterday, but Thai authorities told Cambodian consular officials in Sa Kaeo that they wanted to question the suspect further.

“He is still in detention for further investigations from the Thai military,” Koy Kuong said. He said he had instructed consular officials to monitor the prisoner’s case closely. Ly Then, chief of the Thai-Cambodian Border Relations Office in Poipet, said police had agreed to release Yean Vuth but had reneged at the last minute.

“We have assured them that Yean Vuth is not a spy,” he said. “We hope he will be released very soon.” He said that the prisoner had worked in Sa Kaeo for “many years” and had never been charged with a crime.