Wednesday, October 14, 2009

ASEAN chief: Thai-Cambodian issue unlikely to be aired at ASEAN Summit

BANGKOK, Oct 14 (TNA) - ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan on Wednesday said he did not believe that Cambodia will raise the border conflict with its neighbour Thailand at the upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the end of this month.

The ASEAN chief commented after French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) earlier quoted Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong as saying Prime Minister Hun Sen will raise the Thai border spat at an upcoming regional summit despite opposition from Thailand, which is hosting the meeting.

Mr Hor Namhong however said "Because there is no answer from Thailand to my official proposal, Cambodia still considers that Prime Minister Hun Sen can raise the dispute in the ASEAN summit."

He said that Cambodia is willing to raise the issue in other international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, and accused Thailand of delaying the resolution of the dispute.

Thailand will host the 15th ASEAN Summit and its related summits in Phetchaburi's Cha-am district and Prachuab Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district October 23 to 25.

The ASEAN chief said that if any country member feels that the Thai-Cambodian border dispute affects ASEAN's image, the foreign ministers from other eight country members (except from Thailand and Cambodia) can raise the issue for discussion at the regional pact meeting.

"I know the Cambodian stance only from news report. I think that the border spat is the issue between the two countries which can be agreed at bilateral talks," said Mr Surin, "It should not be raised in the ASEAN Summit."

The ASEAN chief added that he is not worried that the summit will be overshadowed by the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, saying that ASEAN members are mature and willing to solve problems.

He said if anyone of either party raises this topic at the meeting, it will be a good opportunity to help find appropriate solutions to the conflict.

Tensions between the two neighbouring countries, renewed when Mr Hun Sen said he had ordered his troops to shoot any Thai stepping on Cambodian soil, after protesters of Thailand's yellow-shirted Peoples’ Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rallied in Si Sa Ket province last month opposing Cambodia's plan to build new structures in the contested 4.6 square kilometre zone surrounding Preah Vihear.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva shunned Mr Hun Sen's threat, saying it is his style to make international headlines and for his internal political benefit.

Cambodian Foreign minister said early this week that he wished to propose the dispute over the area around the ancient Preah Vihear temple be included in the agenda of the ASEAN summit and in other international meetings.

The Thai foreign affairs ministry however said the dispute should not be internationalised or raised at the regional pact meeting and Thailand will continue to seek a peaceful solution with Cambodia via a bilateral mechanism.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Surin (a Malay) is another joker and suck up, ASEAN members are mature in solving problems.Tell that to Pattani Malay-Khmers under Siam ,Arakan-Shan-Karen-Mon under Burma,Montagnards-Khmers under Viet Nam, Leftists repuclicanists under Malay,Aceh under Indonesia...
Surin is just a performer for Siam in the face of Indonesia.
Unbelievable idiot!

Anonymous said...

I hate this guy ASEAN Chief, he always taken side toward Thailand, this mother fucker is kissing Thailand's ass with millions of $$dollars, he is number one crooked man! why ta hell this guy become Chief anyway..?

Anonymous said...

Is this guy SIAM or Malaysian??

Somehow I've thought he is SIAM or Khmer-Surin blood.

Anonymous said...

He is siding on Thai side over the Khmer/Thai related to Preah Vihear Temple.

ASEAN must vote this guy out!!!

Anonymous said...

Surin Pitsuwan (Thai: สุรินทร์ พิศสุวรรณ, born 28 October 1949) is a longtime Thai politician. He was born in Nakhon Si Thammarat, into an assimilated Thai family of Malay descent.[1][2]

Pitsuwan studied at Thammasat University, Thailand. He graduated cum laude from Claremont McKenna College, California, in political science in 1972. From 1977 until 1980, he was a researcher for the Human Rights Studies Program, Thai Studies Institute and the Ford Foundation, Thammasat University, and from 1974 until 1978, he was a fellow of The Rockefeller Fellowship Program, The Rockefeller Foundation, Harvard University and American University, Cairo. Surin Pitsuwan earned a Master of Arts from Harvard University and did research at the American University in Cairo as a scholar of the Institute of Higher Council for Islamic Affairs of Egypt from 1975 until 1977 before returning to Harvard, where he received a Ph.D. in 1982.

Surin Pitsuwan was elected Member of Parliament from Nakhon Si Thammarat for the first time in 1986 and became Secretary to the Speaker of the House of Representatives the same year. In 1988, he was appointed Assistant Secretary to the Minister of Interior. From 1992 until 1995, he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs before becoming Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1997, serving in this capacity until 2001. Surin Pitsuwan was Chairman of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum from 1999 until 2000.

In addition to his political career, he taught at Thammasart University and wrote for two English daily newspapers in Bangkok between 1980 and 1992. From 1983 until 1984, Surin Pitsuwan worked in the U.S. Congress as a Congressional Fellow, Congressional Fellowship Program, the Asia Foundation and the American Political Science Association (APSA), while at the same time teaching International Relations at the American University in Washington, D.C..

He was Academic Assistant to the Dean of the Faculty of Political Science and later to the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at Thammasart University from 1985 until 1986. Surin Pitsuwan is a member of the Commission on Human Security, a member of the Advisory Board of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, and a member of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation.

He was considered a serious candidate to succeed Kofi Annan as the U.N. Secretary-General.[3] But, due to Thailand's internal politics, the Thai government, led by Thaksin Shinawatra at the time, decided to endorse Surakiat Sathianthai, a former foreign minister under Thaksin, to compete for the post instead. Sathianthai subsequently lost to Ban-Ki Moon. Many academics and political analysts viewed that had Thailand supported Pitsuwan's candidacy instead of Sathianthai's, the country could have had its citizen leading the United Nations.

On June 18, 2007, the Thai cabinet unanimously endorsed the recommendation from the Thai Foreign Ministry for Surin Pitsuwan to be nominated as the Thai candidate to be the next Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He was confirmed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers during their 40th annual meeting in Manila in July 2007 and succeeded Ong Keng Yong from Singapore on January 1, 2008.[4] His term of office is five years. The Economist magazine, commenting that most Secretary-Generals are "usually a senior regional official rewarded with the post as the crowning boondoggle in a career of not rocking the boat", states that Pitsuwan is different in that he seeks an activist role in member states.[5] Surin Pitsuwan is the first ASEAN Secretary-General with significant political background.

Anonymous said...

This guy is very bias!!!

Anonymous said...

Why Thai is so afraid of talking about the Preah Vihear issue at the ASEAN conference ? It has been more than a year since the conflict started and they have been talking about it many times but nothing has been solved . Don't they think it's time to take that case to the higher level ?
Come on Thai ... don't be such a yellow *** .
Truck Driver

Anonymous said...

Thailand is embarass to talks, Thailand is too ashamed to face all nations in the meeting, because everyone knew that Thailand is a ROBBER AND THIEF...

Anonymous said...

Thailand even trying to fuck with Myanmar, but they got their kick so bad, they are still trying to steal lands from Myanmar these day still, i wish Hun Sen team up with Myanmar and kick Thailand out of the MAP for good...

Anonymous said...

correction = Thai got their ass kick so bad, by trying to fuck with Myanmar...

Anonymous said...

What? ASEAN now belongs to Thailand too?

Anonymous said...

This info is misleading: "......last month opposing Cambodia's plan to build new structures in the contested 4.6 square kilometre zone surrounding Preah Vihear".

In fact, Cambodia is not building new structure as said by the Thai, but just resurrecting the marketplace and the village cottages destroyed by Thai rocket shells.

Anonymous said...

if thai border issue is not brought up at asean, maybe vietnam/khmer border issue should be brought up instead.

Anonymous said...

This guy, Surin always interfere with cambodian-thai border issues, he stop khmer from doing this and that..? and OK with whatever Thailand asking for..?

Anonymous said...

Tell that mother fucker that is not secret,that is what is wright and wrong so all the Medias must attending and broadcast their news.
Is it the Thai is a communist state?

Anonymous said...

keep in mind the bangcock post and the nation newspapers have a history of biased report against cambodia; so, i wouldn't recommend quoting from them too much. they are biased against cambodia in their narrow-minded report. and thailand is calling themselves "democratic?" i think we all should scrutinize thailand for being extremist democratic; it's all about siem interest there, really. i'm sure cambodia will learn from them sooner or later,and what goes around comes around, i'm sure! it's called bad karma, really!

Anonymous said...

I WANNA FUCKING PUNCH HIS FUCKING FACE IN......FUCK THAILAND

Anonymous said...

All Asian Nations should become one just like European Nations, having a one currency "Euro" as well as having a common goal and common interest. Let say if one country is getting into trouble then the rest will come together as one and help that nation. All nations need to come together to create a common law to protect everyone equally and that everyone is “equally important” does matter who they are or where they come from. such law may includes; love, compassion, share, respect and collaboration!.If Asian people don't look for ways to unite, we will be wiped out by other nation just like that and it is happening now to some countries right in front of your eyes already. Asian Nations, you all should be smarter by now, too. I give you one question why do European Nations create a common goal and common interest? It is because they don’t want the super power nations like Russia, China or USA one day decided to attack them. You see , their aim is to secure each other from being such attack. If our Asian Nations don't prepare into this position ASAP then who knows we be going back to World War 1 and world war 2 and this means we are (in the 21st century) getting dumber and dumber. We Asian nations must learn from the past mistakes and turn it into a positive learning outcome! Don't try to get outsiders for help on how to build the relationships between Asian Nations because base on human instinct no one nation want other nation to be better off than them in any way, simple as! Otherwise they wouldn’t have this Englo Saxon in the first place. Englo Saxon includes; England, Canada, USA, Aust, NZ, and more, all have common goal and common interest. Asian Nations need to do the same and be smarter by now and to achieve this, first we all need to respect each others' boundary, country and culture I’m far far away from home, I love you all, cheers

Anonymous said...

Agree with 7:20pm! this way cambodia has no corrupted people...