BANGKOK, Nov 7 (AFP) - The head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations urged Thailand and Cambodia Saturday to show "maximum restraint" amid tensions over Phnom Penh's job offer to a fugitive former Thai premier.
ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said the 10-country bloc should not be seen to be divided by the dispute ahead of a historic meeting with US President Barack Obama and regional leaders later this month.
Cambodia and Thailand on Thursday recalled their respective ambassadors after Cambodia appointed Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted as Thailand's prime minister in a coup in 2006, as an economic adviser.
Thailand and Cambodia have fought a series deadly clashes on their border since July 2008 in a dispute over land around an ancient Cambodian temple that was granted UN World Heritage Status.
Surin expressed "concern over the escalation of tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, has appealed to both countries to exercise maximum restraint," said a statement issued by the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.
He also urged foreign ministers from the bloc to help the two countries to "settle their bilateral dispute amicably and as soon as possible".
"We in ASEAN cannot afford to be seen as being so seriously divided prior to the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders Meeting and the historic ASEAN-US Leaders Meeting in Singapore this month," it quoted Surin as saying in a letter to regional foreign ministers.
Thailand has accused Cambodia of interfering in its internal affairs by appointing Thaksin, who is living abroad to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption.
Cambodia says Thaksin was the victim of a politically motivated case.
During his time in power, Thaksin was close to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who first floated the idea of the adviser's job at an Asian summit in October.
The billionaire tycoon has stirred up a series of protests in recent months against the Thai government. His own allies were forced from government in December 2008 after anti-Thakin demonstrators besieged Bangkok's airports.
ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said the 10-country bloc should not be seen to be divided by the dispute ahead of a historic meeting with US President Barack Obama and regional leaders later this month.
Cambodia and Thailand on Thursday recalled their respective ambassadors after Cambodia appointed Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted as Thailand's prime minister in a coup in 2006, as an economic adviser.
Thailand and Cambodia have fought a series deadly clashes on their border since July 2008 in a dispute over land around an ancient Cambodian temple that was granted UN World Heritage Status.
Surin expressed "concern over the escalation of tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, has appealed to both countries to exercise maximum restraint," said a statement issued by the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.
He also urged foreign ministers from the bloc to help the two countries to "settle their bilateral dispute amicably and as soon as possible".
"We in ASEAN cannot afford to be seen as being so seriously divided prior to the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders Meeting and the historic ASEAN-US Leaders Meeting in Singapore this month," it quoted Surin as saying in a letter to regional foreign ministers.
Thailand has accused Cambodia of interfering in its internal affairs by appointing Thaksin, who is living abroad to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption.
Cambodia says Thaksin was the victim of a politically motivated case.
During his time in power, Thaksin was close to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who first floated the idea of the adviser's job at an Asian summit in October.
The billionaire tycoon has stirred up a series of protests in recent months against the Thai government. His own allies were forced from government in December 2008 after anti-Thakin demonstrators besieged Bangkok's airports.
16 comments:
Why didn't the ASEAN Secretary General called for restraint when Thailand sent troops to occupy Cambodia's territory arround the Preah Vihear Temple on 15 July 2009? By the way, the troops are still there! ASEAN will be doomed with such doubled standards ..This organization is such a joke!
Stupid ASEAN Secretary General, you need to follow the whole situation and activities and of course tell Thailand and not Cambodia.
Khmer in Europe
Asean is useless and biased toward the richer nations.
in Thai-Cambodia, and Vietnam Cambodia ......Asian Ah thokteab,shame on you
With such doubled standards and monkeying around, I do not think that ASEAN will go that far! The organization should be scraped!
3:38 PM
If ASEAN is useless, just get the hell out of it. Don't complain when your country interferes with other country's internal conflict.
most asean country are thieft just take alook at thia and viet they are the most cool blood murderer who act like a gentlement,the three peace loving nation gotta be loas cambodia and singapore!!!
YES ASEAN is useless because its lead by a law less state.
ASEAN as a whole is almost a joke especially when it has a moron siem as chairman. The next rotation will be better with who ever will chair this organization.
When two peoples fight each other, both are at fault...Cambodia and Thailand probleme can be resoluted as follow:
1. Hun Sen remove Thaksin Economic Adviser position.
2. Abisit return the 4.6K surrounding Preah Vihear back to Cambodian people.
3. Speed-up border demarcation between the two country. Sea, Land and Air.
4. Work together to promote Tourism and Friendship.
This is the Win Win solution for both country as member of ASEAN.
When two peoples fight each other, both are at fault...Cambodia and Thailand probleme can be resoluted as follow:
1. Hun Sen remove Thaksin Economic Adviser position.
2. Abisit return the 4.6K surrounding Preah Vihear back to Cambodian people.
3. Speed-up border demarcation between the two country. Sea, Land and Air.
4. Work together to promote Tourism and Friendship.
This is the Win Win solution for both country as member of ASEAN.
Thailand must pull the troops or else will risk war!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I totally agree with the 9.08pm solutions. The next head of ASEAN is the robberer Vietnam.
9:08 PM
You must be joking. When Abhisit revokes the MOU and other measures:
1. 4.6K remains the overlapping area.
2. PVH cannot be registered completely as World Heritage due to conflict between the two countries.
3. Any agreements that Cambodia gains from previous agreements between two countries will be revoked, and vice versa.
I hope Hun Sen is happy with the result of appointing Thaksin.
Dude, PM Hun Sen is very happy to see a childish Apeeshit over-reacting like a kid. Thaksin is happy seeing Apeeshit's goverment starting to feel panic... Hun Sen and Thaksin wanted the weakling thai king to get involved and remove the pre-text of Thaksin as a fugitive so that he can run for the next election. When Thailand falls into disarray, the king will have to bud in ...favoring Taksin.
Just watch!, when Apeeshit closed the borders and the red shirts (the poor portion) are affected, these folks will stage massive protests and riots that eventually will disrupt the entire country. Apeeshit will step down or will have to negotiate with Taksin. Taksin's strategy...to be elected again.
The Thais are a bunch of loonies ultra-nationalists...What is the matter with them??? It's true that Cambodia do not have economic experts, that's why Samdech Hun Sen imports foreign know-how like Lee Myung Bak and now Thaksin. The Thais are ingrateful bastards who owe so much to Cambodia for the past 800 years. They are imperialists who can not exert control beyond their borders...Instead of fostering fraternal friendship between our two peoples (Khmer-Thai) which share so much in common, they choose the wrong path to self-destruction and humiliation. In the eyes of the world, they are indeed a crazy disturbed people...
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