Achara Ashayagachat
Bangkok Post
"The only positive factor was that the military on both sides had so far stayed clear of the political gamesmanship" - Charnvit Kasetsiri, a political historianThailand may have overreacted by recalling its ambassador to Cambodia in protest against the neighbouring country's appointment of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser, diplomatic sources say.
The government could have taken the lesser action of officially summoning Cambodia's ambassador to Thailand to protest Phnom Penh's decision instead, they said.
The diplomatic fallout over Cambodia's appointment of the fugitive Thaksin could cause significant damage to the Association of South East Asian Nations, a European diplomatic source said.
"If the dispute is not eased, Asean might be seen as a disintegrating grouping when they meet with the US president on the sidelines of Apec [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] summit in Singapore next weekend," the source said.
"Asean has just reaffirmed the building-up of the [Asean economic] community, but the Asean chair [Thailand] and its neighbour [Cambodia] are now fighting."
Diplomats are concerned the flare-up might spoil this weekend's Mekong Summit being held in Japan, which both Thai and Cambodian officials will attend.
Both Thailand and Cambodia have ordered their respective ambassadors home. But this action was not overly serious, a retired Thai ambassador said.
"It is just a show of protest against that country interfering in our affairs."
Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen's comment that Thaksin's prosecution for corruption was politically motivated - implying the Thai judicial system was neither independent nor fair - was far more inflammatory than appointing the criminal as an adviser, the former ambassador said.
"Thaksin was convicted by the Supreme Court, not just an ordinary court, and making such remarks is too much for a sovereign country to remain quiet," he said.
More worrying, there are no guarantees that the situation would not disintegrate into armed conflict between the two nations, said Charnvit Kasetsiri, a political historian.
"It is a pity that we play domestic politics without considering the impact on the little people, especially those along the border and the small and medium-scale businessmen working inside Cambodia," he said.
The only positive factor was that the military on both sides had so far stayed clear of the political gamesmanship, he said.
"Although Thailand's reaction is understandable and natural, hopefully the Thai government will be careful that its actions do not cause the situation to deteriorate," he said.
The latest dispute between Thailand and Cambodia makes a farce of the Asean vision of creating an economic community. It also made the regional bloc look like a clown to the outside world, he said.
12 comments:
This is came out from Hun Sen's mouth "Thaksin's prosecution for corruption was politically motivated" He is right!! Such thing has occurred daily in Cambodian under His rule. And this is Charnvit Kasetsiri said: "Thaksin was convicted by the Supreme Court, not just an ordinary court.." I never heard a decent word comes out from Hun Sen's mouth when he talk.
Kasetsiri is right. Abbhisit and his PAD friends are overracting. Cambodia has a right to hire any one as its economic advisor. Cambodia is not a colony of Thailand. I wondering if this guy really got his law degree from Oxford. Oxford my ass?. The world is laughing at Abbhisit.
He is right,
Thai troops invaded Khmer territory several times.
Thai Government tried to de-list Khmer Temple a World Heritage.
Thai used unilaterally-drawn map to claim Cambodian land.
These Thai behaviors insulted Khmer people deeply. But, Cambodian envoy was not removed.
Taksin case angers PAD and Abbishit Government the most, not majorities of Thais. If Taksin is an ordinary Thai with similar case, I’m sure that Abbishit wouldn’t care. Clearly, Abbishit decision was motivated by PAD and his discontent toward Taksin.
Thailand has certainly overreacted over Cambodian appointment of Taksin as Hun Sen's advisor, for Taksin has not physically been in Cambodia. It is just words on paper which Taksin has not yet accepted. The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia behave like fools which makes ASEAN become a laughing stock in the realm of international diplomacy.
Shame on the stupid Thai King for creating all these fucken mess!
Elections are coming up in Cambodia. So it is time for Hun Sen to start ratcheting up his agenda. If everyone did not notice, everytime there is an election, there is Hun Sen all over the media talking about nationalism.
It is really far from now to the new election in Cambodia, you numskull. It is mirror-clear that you maroon using the appointment of the Thai's former PM as economic adviser to PM HS and his Govt. as a pretext to throw your hatreds against a leader of sovereign state.
HS could be the major subject of mass media at any moment because his activities are newsworthy.
I, as a Cambodian, strongly believe that he has his reason to do so. I am standing by his decision as he has been supported by majority of Cambodian population.
As Mr. Thaksin said, it will be a great honor to help the Khmer citizen in Cambodia. By this way he mights able to help the Khmer descent (Khmer Loeu) live on today Thailand and Khmer Krom live in Mekong delta to upgrade their life qualities.
I will support Hun Sen with all my heart if he is tough to Thai the same as he is tough to the Viets, otherwise his action in regard to Thai is just to serve Viet's interest only. If the Thai-Cambodian borders are closed all trades between Thailand and Cambodia will come to end and they will be replaced by Viet's products instead.
mr hun sen is stupid to throw his support behind criminal thaksin. who is mr hun sen serving, mr thaksin or khmer people? soon trading with thailand will be closed and goods and comodities prices will increase. who will be suffering from this crisis?
if we had missile make sure it pointed to the thia palace that a warning for showing to much air power!
The Thais are a bunch of loonie ultra-nationalists...What is the matter with them??? It's true that Cambodia does not have economic experts of that caliber. That's why Samdech Hun Sen has the insight to import foreign know-how such as Lee Myung Bak of South Korea before he became Prime Minister and now former PM Thaksin of Thailand. The Thais are ungrateful bastards who owe so much to Cambodia for the past 800 years because they borrowed so much language and culture from the Khmers. The Thais have no power or influence beyond their borders. The Cambodians are indeed clever enough to recognise the special skill and talent possessed by Thaksin. Of course they resentful even though he has been discarded by Thailand. One must not forget that all of Thailand was once Khmer land and Bangkok was a Khmer river-bank village. 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...The world is laughing at Thailand.
Achar Penh
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