Hostages involved in spying: Papers

Hostages involved in spying: Papers

BANGKOK (Reuter): Thai newspapers on Saturday quoted the
country's army chief as suggesting that three Western hostages
abducted by Cambodia's Khmer Rouge guerrillas and later killed
had been involved in espionage.

Gen. Wimol Wongwanich, army commander-in-chief, angrily denied
accusations by Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans that Thai
businessmen and some soldiers gave logistical support to the
rebel Khmer Rouge, the papers said.

The Cambodian government blames the Khmer Rouge for the murder
of an Australian, a Briton and a Frenchman, whose bodies were
found in southern Cambodia this month.

"Are you going to believe me or foreigners? The Australian's
death is a spies-kill-spies matter. Maybe they think we don't
know anything," The Nation quoted Wimol as telling reporters.