Thailand refuses to extradite 'Merchant of Death'

News » Asia

Thailand refuses to extradite 'Merchant of Death'

Published: 11/08/2009 at 04:00 PM
Online news: Asia

A Thai court on Tuesday rejected a request by the United States for the extradition of Viktor Bout, an alleged Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death".

Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, dubbed the "Merchant of Death", is seen sitting behind bars at a Bangkok court in May. A Thai court has rejected a request by the United States for the extradition of Bout.

"The court has agreed to dismiss the case," judge Jitakorn Patanasiri said in a surprise decision that comes almost a year-and-a-half after Bout, 42, was arrested in a sting operation at a Bangkok hotel.

“His guilt cannot be determined in Thailand,” said the judge.

Bout, who is said to have inspired the Hollywood film "Lord of War" starring Nicolas Cage, was held on charges that he peddled weapons, including to Al-Qaeda, that were used in some of the world's most violent conflicts.

The United States was "disappointed and mystified" by the court's decision, a senior US diplomat said,

"We are disappointed and mystified by the court's ruling. We think the facts of the case are relevant to Thai laws," James Entwistle, the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Bangkok, told reporters.

The court said that it did not have the authority to punish "actions done by foreigners against other foreigners in another country".

Relate Search: viktor bout, russian, arms dealer, united states, court, extradition

About the author

Writer: AFP

Keep this article in your social bookmark:

Latest stories in this category:

Share your thoughts

For more candid, lengthy, conversational and open discussion between one another, use our Forum

Report objectionable comments click here. Include: discussion #, commenter name, comment date / time as it looks on the page. Example: discussion 15: 09/01/2009 at 10:00 AM.

Andrew

Discussion 27 : 12/08/2009 at 04:58 PM27
Thailand says one thing yet they try contiously to have Thaskin extradited back to face Thai charges.......its more about what suits them.
Thai logic and credibility is well known and understood in the developed world...Thailand is not taken seriously.
Red Capitalist

Discussion 26 : 12/08/2009 at 07:19 AM26
@ Bill Canada, Discussion 23. You may be right, although I can't see how Thailand could feel that it lost face. The US perhaps. In my view, the 2006 'fiasco', if it was one - I don't know the merits of the case: if justice was done, it wasn't a fiasco - can only have been a fiasco for the US.
Douglas

Discussion 25 : 12/08/2009 at 12:49 AM25
I wonder if FARC is an organization in Thailand which uses kidnapping, murder, drug-trafficking with the help of Myanmar or Cambodia (instead of Venezuela and Ecuador) giving them sanctuary and weaponns to overthrow the Thai government. What would the judge in the case of Victor Bout see FARC as? A political movement? I wonder how much money did the Russians offer him to arrive at his verdict? The whole world knows how the corrupted the Russian government is, what about the Thai government and it's judges, are they just as bad ?
PaulC

Discussion 24 : 12/08/2009 at 12:25 AM24
I agree. Let Thailand feed and house him. A Thai jail is worse than anything we could receive in the U.S. and if Thailand releases him they should give him a green card....oh..I forgot..Thailand doesn't give anyone a green card.
Bill Canada

Discussion 23 : 11/08/2009 at 11:54 PM23
To Red Capitalist: Try reading the last line again. Euphemisms are sometimes hard to follow, so I’ll use simple English sentences:

In 2006, the USA asks Thailand for the return of a guy that they want to convict of at least the murder of a five year-old girl and involvement in child pornography.

The Thais don’t like guys like that and believing the USA and oblige.

The USA gets the guy from Thailand but cannot convict the guy of any criminal activity.

Thais don’t like to be embarrassed.

In 2009, the USA (a big arms dealer) asks Thailand to give them a guy that they want to convict for illegal arms dealing.

The Thais no longer trust the USA to convict the guy even though the USA says they will convict.
Thais don’t like to be embarrassed once and certainly not twice.

I could be wrong so I said perhaps. Anyway, I apologize for the hard to follow euphemism. If you didn’t follow I’m sure others didn’t either.

BTW – Somebody in discussion 4 writes in a style similar to yours and it makes it hard to follow you in discussion 13. (Red Capitalist v Red Capitalist turning blood red)
Diego

Discussion 22 : 11/08/2009 at 11:49 PM22
I'm Colombian and it is well known throughout the entire country that the FARC is a terrorist group. They do have, as I can see, excellent diplomatic missions to make the rest of the world believe that they are merely political. If you don't believe me, stop for a second and ask yourself where are they getting funds to finance their war. The answer is simple and easily verifiable: Narcotraffic, kidnapping, extortion, and other crimes that make this movement be considered just a terrorist faction and not a "political" one.

If this individual is going to be jailed in Russia, I'm certain he will get a slap in the wrist and continue his operations from within jail. He should not be moved back to his home country.
charlie

Discussion 21 : 11/08/2009 at 10:37 PM21
In a seconds a high ranking general is gonna knock on that door and tell you good job buddy and then hes gonna release me .Because the world needs people like me to do its dirty work .Wow just like the movie .
Puzzled

Discussion 20 : 11/08/2009 at 10:13 PM20
Corruption is the way of life in Thailand I'm afraid. The judge was clearly paid off in this case....probably dirty Russian Pattaya money.

Very sad I'm afraid....but there will be an appeal and those results could be much different.Let's wait and see how it plays out. Justice still has time to prevail.

The judge is a Joke...

PS. When does Abhisit speak out against his General pal's in Cambodia...the world is waiting Mr. P.M.
observer

Discussion 19 : 11/08/2009 at 09:57 PM19
To Red Capitalist:
....and if he is not extradited to a fair trial, we´ll never now if he was innocent. Has this been running on your neurons?
Charkow

Discussion 18 : 11/08/2009 at 09:48 PM18
Russia wants him dearly to sell Weapons to
anyone who has the money. Russia needs him
just as the GDR (East Berlin) needed a Mr. Wolf (or Wulf) some years ago.
Thailand not being one of the democratic States
has a choice in the case of BOUT
and it has felled a decision for Russia.

That's all there is to say.

Charkow

1 2 3 Next Last

Thailand refuses to extradite 'Merchant of Death'