By SOPHENG CHEANG
Associated Press
Cambodia announced Friday it would reject any Thai request to extradite ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra if he accepts an invitation for refuge in Cambodia, further straining bilateral ties during a key regional summit.
Thaksin was ousted as Thai prime minister in a 2006 military coup. He was sentenced to jail in absentia last year and lives in exile. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen this week pronounced Thaksin a "political victim" and said he was welcome to stay in Cambodia.
Thailand responded that it would seek Thaksin's extradition if he took up the offer, under a treaty agreed by two countries in 2001. But in a statement Friday, Cambodia said it has "the legal ground to absolutely reject any extradition" because a request would be based on a "political offense."
Relations between Cambodia and Thailand are already strained over a sometimes violent border dispute over a parcel of land around an 11th century Khmer temple, and Hun Sen's offer to Thaksin will have irked Thailand's current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Despite being convicted for conflict of interest and sentenced to two years in jail, tycoon Thaksin remains politically popular in rural Thailand and his supporters are rallying for his return.
"It appears that Hun Sen also wants to openly ally himself with rivals of Abhisit's government because he hasn't been happy with how this government has handled the border dispute. The issue of Thaksin is one that was sure to cause jitters in Thailand," said Sukhum Nuansakul, a political scientist at Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng University.
Hun Sen's offer comes at a sensitive time, as Abhisit hosts the summit of Asian leaders _ including the Cambodian premier.
Thousands of police and troops have been mobilized for the Association of South East Asian Nations summit at a beach resort south of Bangkok, starting Friday, to prevent protests by Thaksin supporters who overran a previous summit in April, forcing the emergency evacuation of several Asian leaders _ a huge embarrassment to Thailand and Abhisit.
The Thai government, however, has been anxious to play down the impact of Hun Sen's comments, apparently to minimize Thaksin's influence within Thailand and in the region.
Meanwhile Thaksin, who lives in exile, thanked Hun Sen for the offer in a twitter message Thursday.
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Hun Sen for saying to the public that I am his friend," Thaksin said on his Twitter account, Thaksinlive. "I would also like to thank him for arranging a house for me."
Since the coup, Thai officials have revoked Thaksin's passports. He has surfaced in places including Dubai, Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Liberia and Montenegro in pursuit of investment opportunities.
Thaksin was ousted as Thai prime minister in a 2006 military coup. He was sentenced to jail in absentia last year and lives in exile. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen this week pronounced Thaksin a "political victim" and said he was welcome to stay in Cambodia.
Thailand responded that it would seek Thaksin's extradition if he took up the offer, under a treaty agreed by two countries in 2001. But in a statement Friday, Cambodia said it has "the legal ground to absolutely reject any extradition" because a request would be based on a "political offense."
Relations between Cambodia and Thailand are already strained over a sometimes violent border dispute over a parcel of land around an 11th century Khmer temple, and Hun Sen's offer to Thaksin will have irked Thailand's current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Despite being convicted for conflict of interest and sentenced to two years in jail, tycoon Thaksin remains politically popular in rural Thailand and his supporters are rallying for his return.
"It appears that Hun Sen also wants to openly ally himself with rivals of Abhisit's government because he hasn't been happy with how this government has handled the border dispute. The issue of Thaksin is one that was sure to cause jitters in Thailand," said Sukhum Nuansakul, a political scientist at Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng University.
Hun Sen's offer comes at a sensitive time, as Abhisit hosts the summit of Asian leaders _ including the Cambodian premier.
Thousands of police and troops have been mobilized for the Association of South East Asian Nations summit at a beach resort south of Bangkok, starting Friday, to prevent protests by Thaksin supporters who overran a previous summit in April, forcing the emergency evacuation of several Asian leaders _ a huge embarrassment to Thailand and Abhisit.
The Thai government, however, has been anxious to play down the impact of Hun Sen's comments, apparently to minimize Thaksin's influence within Thailand and in the region.
Meanwhile Thaksin, who lives in exile, thanked Hun Sen for the offer in a twitter message Thursday.
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Hun Sen for saying to the public that I am his friend," Thaksin said on his Twitter account, Thaksinlive. "I would also like to thank him for arranging a house for me."
Since the coup, Thai officials have revoked Thaksin's passports. He has surfaced in places including Dubai, Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Liberia and Montenegro in pursuit of investment opportunities.
9 comments:
SRP has signed alliance agreement with Democratic party of Thai current PM since his party was an opposition and now, the CPP has declared the alliance with Puer Thai party and also offer shelter to Thaksin.
Let see what SRP says in this issue?
We always talked about democracy, now we have to use its. Mr. Thaksin is a politician and can be handle under the refugee statute same as the western world did before for us (Khmer) or other people from Communist and Islam countries in the world.
As a political refugee, Mr. Thaksin have the right to apply and stay in Cambodia. The Cambodian government therefore have the reposnsibility to provide accommodation and other things, a political refugee needed.
offender and political refugee are totally different.
1-A person who has committed a crime with their own nation by refusing to pay compulsory tax to their government is counted as an offender.
2-A political assylum is a person whose has been hunted by his government for his political view or by his expression against his government for abusing human right, corruption extortion etc..
For Mr Thaksin, he has to sort out his tax problem with his government. He is not a political assylum at all. They didn't chased him out because of his political different but because of his tax avoidance according to his government.
Areak Prey
I would like to see Thai's gov't stop speaking about their own political views and pin point it onto Cambodia as Cambodia has enough problem as it is if Mr Thaksin decided to come to Cambodia, it is at his own will and they have to deal with it themselves. It is like two brothers fighting with each other and than one decided to run to the neighbour's house to seek for help. As a good neighbour we can not sack this person away and say get out. Buddha and Christ said "When people knock the door will be opened and when people ask for help he/she will get helped'. So, as for Thai gov't you have no right to get upset with the helper but you can get upset with your own brother. So, you must separate between the helper and the seeker. So, Thai gov’t needs to sort things out for themselves and stop accusing or telling Cambodia gov’t what to do and you can not hate us as being the helper for god sake. Aust
imagine if this guy,thaksin,is a poor busted. do you think hun sen allowed him in cambodia ? no. it's all about money. thaksin is a billionare. he dream of building a city in koh kong provines. i bet if thaksin want to marry hun sen daughter that can happen too. money is everything. i will cry for a million or two.
Hun Sen is playing a game can be loat and won. However, he seems unlikely to win than lose.
His peak of popularity has been readily to subsue.
Hun Sen, you feel so touch for Thaksin as a "political Victim." Cleary, millions of Cambodians are the victims of your political scam. I wonder if you ever feel for them the same way as you feel for Thaksin.
4:01 PM,
I agree!
Arak Prey, your argument is correct , I agree and support you 100%. If Taksin paid the tax for his country but he was punished by the new Thai Govt. then Cambodia must give him as political Asylum. But his case in this time, he is crime for Thai people, so he has no place in our country.
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