The Nation
Slams Chavalit for worsening political tension
Their styles have become obvious now: if Hun Sen is a fighter, Abhisit Vejjajiva is a boxer.
After Bangkok's extradition request for ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra was rejected virtually on its arrival in Phnom Penh yesterday morning, the Thai prime minister played it cool. The document will be resubmitted after a legal review, and all the while the Thai government will be hoping that the Thaksin saga will in the end prove to be a bigger embarrassment for the Thai fugitive's host.
Abhisit also threatened a further review of Thai assistance to Cambodia, but it was clear Bangkok would try its best not to let this degenerate into a street-fighting version of diplomacy.
Cambodia's wild punches have hit Thailand below the belt. Its stern reply to the extradition request was basically that Phnom Penh would never return to Thailand a victim of political persecution who had "overwhelmingly" won democratic elections here.
Abhisit smiled after Thailand's request was thrown out as soon as it was submitted to Cambodian authorities.
"The Foreign Ministry will have the document reviewed by the Office of the Attorney-General for relevant legal points. It's said Cambodia did not follow the international practices," the prime minister said.
He said his government would have to make a further study of cooperation projects between the countries, in addition to the measures agreed by the Cabinet on Tuesday. Those include scrapping of a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia made during the Thaksin administration about an overlapping maritime area.
The PM said there would be no closure of the border between the countries, but that authorities would take tougher measures with Thai gamblers playing at Cambodian casinos.
"In fact, we have not been sufficiently strict about this matter," he said, while dismissing the possibility that the use of force would be required.
Abhisit said Thaksin should have been aware that he was causing renewed conflict between the countries. "Many things that the former prime minister did over the past few days affected the feelings of Thais," he added.
"He caused the problem that he must be aware of. What he does is not something other Thais would do," said the prime minister.
He also blamed Chavalit Yongchaiyudh for the rising tensions.
"I thought that he had come back to politics to help with reconciliation. He went on an overseas trip just once and he has caused a [big] problem and conflict between the two countries," Abhisit said of the Pheu Thai Party's new chairman.
Thailand's charge d'affaires in Phnom Penh arrived at the Cambodian Foreign Ministry at about 8.30am, but had to wait for two hours before he could actually hand the extradition request to an apparently junior Cambodian official.
Two hours later, the Cambodian government gave its official response.
Thaksin's prosecution, the reply said, was a consequence of the 2006 coup. It stated, in upper case for em-phasis, that "he was OVERWHELMINGLY and DEMOCRATICALLY elected by the Thai people".
"This response letter is enough to tell [Thailand] that there will be no extradition," Hun Sen said at a televised press conference alongside Thaksin in Phnom Penh.
Their styles have become obvious now: if Hun Sen is a fighter, Abhisit Vejjajiva is a boxer.
After Bangkok's extradition request for ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra was rejected virtually on its arrival in Phnom Penh yesterday morning, the Thai prime minister played it cool. The document will be resubmitted after a legal review, and all the while the Thai government will be hoping that the Thaksin saga will in the end prove to be a bigger embarrassment for the Thai fugitive's host.
Abhisit also threatened a further review of Thai assistance to Cambodia, but it was clear Bangkok would try its best not to let this degenerate into a street-fighting version of diplomacy.
Cambodia's wild punches have hit Thailand below the belt. Its stern reply to the extradition request was basically that Phnom Penh would never return to Thailand a victim of political persecution who had "overwhelmingly" won democratic elections here.
Abhisit smiled after Thailand's request was thrown out as soon as it was submitted to Cambodian authorities.
"The Foreign Ministry will have the document reviewed by the Office of the Attorney-General for relevant legal points. It's said Cambodia did not follow the international practices," the prime minister said.
He said his government would have to make a further study of cooperation projects between the countries, in addition to the measures agreed by the Cabinet on Tuesday. Those include scrapping of a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia made during the Thaksin administration about an overlapping maritime area.
The PM said there would be no closure of the border between the countries, but that authorities would take tougher measures with Thai gamblers playing at Cambodian casinos.
"In fact, we have not been sufficiently strict about this matter," he said, while dismissing the possibility that the use of force would be required.
Abhisit said Thaksin should have been aware that he was causing renewed conflict between the countries. "Many things that the former prime minister did over the past few days affected the feelings of Thais," he added.
"He caused the problem that he must be aware of. What he does is not something other Thais would do," said the prime minister.
He also blamed Chavalit Yongchaiyudh for the rising tensions.
"I thought that he had come back to politics to help with reconciliation. He went on an overseas trip just once and he has caused a [big] problem and conflict between the two countries," Abhisit said of the Pheu Thai Party's new chairman.
Thailand's charge d'affaires in Phnom Penh arrived at the Cambodian Foreign Ministry at about 8.30am, but had to wait for two hours before he could actually hand the extradition request to an apparently junior Cambodian official.
Two hours later, the Cambodian government gave its official response.
Thaksin's prosecution, the reply said, was a consequence of the 2006 coup. It stated, in upper case for em-phasis, that "he was OVERWHELMINGLY and DEMOCRATICALLY elected by the Thai people".
"This response letter is enough to tell [Thailand] that there will be no extradition," Hun Sen said at a televised press conference alongside Thaksin in Phnom Penh.
2 comments:
man, in the past week up to the present all you hear and see is about thaskin,the current thai pm and hun sen. anywhere else seem to be silence. is the world is going to end right there?
It's really ashamed as and if thailand tried again and while the request was not accepted. Abhisit is too young to deal such issue and should not try... otherwise Abhisit will bring Thailand's face into the rubbish bin again and again...
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