Bangkok Post
EDITORIAL
It will be interesting to find out in coming days whether fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra quit or was fired as a glorified economic adviser to the Cambodian government.
Either way, the departure of the fractious Thaksin from the scene is a welcome development. On this, the two governments see eye to eye, and the citizens of both countries should breathe a little easier.
The Thai ambassador is heading back to Phnom Penh today, and his Cambodian counterpart will arrive in Bangkok to resume full diplomatic relations.
It is a development that is both welcome and encouraging.
Today will mark the first time since last November that Thailand and Cambodia have had full diplomatic relations. As unreasonable as it seems, the two neighbours broke off relations over Thaksin. But it was not the former prime minister alone who engineered the division between two countries that share a long border, history and culture. There are lessons to be learnt from the past nine months of prickly and downgraded diplomatic relations.
On Monday, Phnom Penh authorities said Thaksin resigned from his Cambodian post because he was unable to fulfill his job. That is possible. It is also possible the Thai fugitive was no longer useful.
Thaksin after all has made no known investment in Cambodia, and has provided no known economic advice that has helped the country. The Thaksin World Tour has been increasingly squeezed, and the red shirt movement is perceptibly leaving Thaksin behind as it focuses on problems at home.
Thailand and Cambodia can now proceed in the proper, responsible way in dealing with problems. In a prelude to resuming diplomatic relations, Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan spoke with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong last week. After that, the prime ministers of both countries agreed to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting in October, in Brussels.
No one expects a breakthrough on the toughest questions, but the agreement to meet in Belgium has an important second agreement. It sidelines the offer by United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon to help mediate between Thailand and Cambodia. No such intermediary is needed.
The biggest disagreement between the two countries is the misnamed "temple dispute" - misnamed because it was settled nearly 40 years ago. Today, there is disagreement over border demarcation. It is strongly hoped that the Cambodian authorities will do their utmost to hold back both troops and would-be settlers from the contentious 4.6 square kilometres of land near the Preah Vihear temple.
Likewise, Thai authorities must prevent any attempt by so-called "Thai Patriots" to stir up the problem in nationalistic terms.
Now that Thaksin is gone from the immediate scene, Cambodia and Thailand can get down to business in a proper way.
Countries cannot choose neighbours, but respectable nations can choose to deal in a neighbourly way.
Either way, the departure of the fractious Thaksin from the scene is a welcome development. On this, the two governments see eye to eye, and the citizens of both countries should breathe a little easier.
The Thai ambassador is heading back to Phnom Penh today, and his Cambodian counterpart will arrive in Bangkok to resume full diplomatic relations.
It is a development that is both welcome and encouraging.
Today will mark the first time since last November that Thailand and Cambodia have had full diplomatic relations. As unreasonable as it seems, the two neighbours broke off relations over Thaksin. But it was not the former prime minister alone who engineered the division between two countries that share a long border, history and culture. There are lessons to be learnt from the past nine months of prickly and downgraded diplomatic relations.
On Monday, Phnom Penh authorities said Thaksin resigned from his Cambodian post because he was unable to fulfill his job. That is possible. It is also possible the Thai fugitive was no longer useful.
Thaksin after all has made no known investment in Cambodia, and has provided no known economic advice that has helped the country. The Thaksin World Tour has been increasingly squeezed, and the red shirt movement is perceptibly leaving Thaksin behind as it focuses on problems at home.
Thailand and Cambodia can now proceed in the proper, responsible way in dealing with problems. In a prelude to resuming diplomatic relations, Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan spoke with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong last week. After that, the prime ministers of both countries agreed to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting in October, in Brussels.
No one expects a breakthrough on the toughest questions, but the agreement to meet in Belgium has an important second agreement. It sidelines the offer by United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon to help mediate between Thailand and Cambodia. No such intermediary is needed.
The biggest disagreement between the two countries is the misnamed "temple dispute" - misnamed because it was settled nearly 40 years ago. Today, there is disagreement over border demarcation. It is strongly hoped that the Cambodian authorities will do their utmost to hold back both troops and would-be settlers from the contentious 4.6 square kilometres of land near the Preah Vihear temple.
Likewise, Thai authorities must prevent any attempt by so-called "Thai Patriots" to stir up the problem in nationalistic terms.
Now that Thaksin is gone from the immediate scene, Cambodia and Thailand can get down to business in a proper way.
Countries cannot choose neighbours, but respectable nations can choose to deal in a neighbourly way.
1 comment:
not so quick you piece of shit, siems.
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