Pirate Bay Founder Arrest Followed By $59m Swedish Aid Package For Cambodia
Following his arrest last Thursday it was confirmed yesterday that Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm will be leaving Cambodia as a matter of some urgency.
Early Tuesday a meeting took place in Cambodia between National Deputy Police Commissioner General Sok Phal and Swedish authorities. Due to the lack of an extradition treaty, Sweden made a request for Svartholm to be deported. Cambodian authorities agreed.
“We will use the Immigration Law against him to deport him out of our country and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng will sign on the deportation request letter from the police commissioner soon,” said Phal. “We will have to just deport him, wherever he goes, we don’t know, but he has to be out of Cambodia.”
While it perhaps isn’t all that unusual for Swedish authorities to be in Cambodia, a development today will join a long line of interesting political coincidences in which one nation appears to be rewarded by another following an apparently unconnected favor that everyone but the politicians are suspicious of.
Today a senior Cambodian official announced that the Government of Sweden had signed to provide Cambodia with 400 million Swedish Kronor ($59.4 million) in financial aid. The money is destined for democratic development, education, and other causes.
Speaking after the signing ceremony between Cambodian deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon and Swedish Ambassador Anne Hoglund, Chhon said his country was grateful for the package.
“Cambodia considers Sweden as a highly valued development partner and we will make every best effort to ensure that the aid be utilized effectively in an efficient and transparent manner,” he said.
Hoglund said that Sweden is committed to strengthening bilateral ties with Cambodia, something that interestingly enough was also said by President Obama’s trade ambassador on his visit to the country last Thursday, the day Svartholm was arrested.
Gottfrid Svartholm is currently in Cambodian detention and facing deportation.
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Absolutely disgusting,,,,, all the poor starving folk around the world, that could have benefited from that huge amount of money!!! 