Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday he was ready to explain to the Russian government about the Appeal Court's decision to extradite leading Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the United States.
The reaction came after Russia showed displeasure over the Thai court's decision. Abhisit insisted everything was conducted through the normal Thai judicial process without any government intervention.
The premier denied that Thailand was pressured by the United States to turn Bout over to the US. Abhisit added however that he knows that both the US and Russia consider the case to be important. Asked if there existed a need to make Russia better understand the situation or not, Abhisit replied that yes there was a need, but didn't go into detail as to how to achieve it. He said he would be straightforward in handling the matter.
In a related development, the Office of the Attorney-General said the US government had 90 days to take Bout to the United States.
The Corrections Department has also beefed up security around Bout's detention facility.
Sirisak Tiyaphan, director-general for foreign affairs at the Office of the Attorney General, said the office would on Monday proceed with the extradition paperwork. If the US failed to extradite Bout within 90 days, he would be immediately set free, Sirisak added.
As for the US request for evidence currently in the hands of the Thai authorities, Sirisak said it was not covered by the extradition treaty and must be processed through a different treaty.
Asked by reporters as to what he thinks of the allegation by Bout's family that justice has not been served, Sirisak insisted that the Thai judicial system was up to international standards and added that he was confident that all clarifications could be made. He also denied that the court's decision had anything to do with US pressure and the Foreign Ministry would help clarify that.
Chartchai Suthiklom, director-general of the Corrections Department, said that although security had been beefed up around Bout, he didn't believe that there would be any attempt to help Bout escape from the prison while waiting for his extradition.