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Thursday 6 January 2011

Cambodia court hears trespass case in Thai ties test

Thai Democrat Party lawmaker Panich Vikitsreth (C) and an unidentified prisoner are escorted by Cambodian police at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 6, 2011. The detained Thai group include MP Panich Vikitsreth (2nd left) and six others

Seven Thai politicians and activists have been brought before a Cambodian court on charges of illegal entry.

The court in Phnom Penh was hearing the charges against each of those detained, but it was unclear if the process would be completed before the weekend.

One of those detained is a member of parliament from Thailand's governing Democrat Party, Panich Vikitsreth.

Ties between Cambodia and Thailand, fractured by a border dispute, have only recently been repaired.

The Thai group were arrested on 29 December and charged with illegal entry and trespassing on a restricted military zone in Cambodia.

Analysts are watching the current case closely, as several of those detained are members of the "yellow-shirt" People's Alliance for Democracy.

This group has made nationalism, and in particular border disputes with Cambodia, a key part of its political platform.

Yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid is one of the seven Thais on trial.

The border issue is a flashpoint for the two neighbours. In recent years there have been sporadic exchanges of fire in areas around a disputed hill-top temple that both sides claim.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen had also angered the Thai government by giving an advisory role to ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

But three Thais held for trespassing were recently returned to Thailand without fuss.

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