By Pracha Hariraksapitak
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand said it would resume diplomatic ties with Cambodia from Tuesday, after the Cambodian government announced fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had resigned as Cambodia's economic advisor.
Thailand and Cambodia recalled their ambassadors from each others' countries on Nov. 5 after Thaksin, a billionaire on the run from a two-year prison sentence for abuse of power, was appointed economic adviser to Cambodianm Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The appointment riled Thailand's leaders who accuse Thaksin of organising and funding a red-shirted, anti-government protest movement whose street demonstrations in central Bangkok turned deadly over April and May.
"They have announced they do not have any more ties with Thaksin so our condition to hold back a diplomat has ended," Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told Reuters on Monday.
"Thailand will send our diplomat back tomorrow. Similarly, Cambodia will also send its diplomat back to Thailand."
Thaksin lives mainly in self-imposed exile in Dubai but is still immensely popular among Thailand's rural poor. His supporters held nine weeks of street protests in Bangkok that turned violent over April and May, sparking clashes with troops in which 91 people were killed and nearly 2,000 wounded.
The diplomatic row started on Oct. 23 when Hun Sen shocked a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Thailand's resort city of Hua Hin by announcing the Cambodian leader had offered Thaksin a job as an advisor, a slap in the face to the summit's Thai hosts.
The row deepened two weeks later, when Cambodia confirmed Thaksin had been made a personal adviser to Hun Sen and an economic adviser to the government, and said it would reject any request to extradite him on the grounds his removal in a 2006 coup and subsequent graft conviction were politically motivated.
That brought a rebuke from Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who recalled Thailand's ambassador and said the Cambodian government had "intervened in Thai justice" and hurt the feelings of the Thai people.
On Monday, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Thaksin had asked to resign from the role.
"We agreed to that," he said.
A Cambodian government statement said Thaksin had "provided important contributions such as ideas, vision and experience to promote Cambodia's competitiveness in commerce, agriculture and tourism." Thaksin had attracted investors to Cambodia, it added.
"Whenever Thailand sends back its ambassador, Cambodia will follow," Cambodia Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said. But he added that Thaksin was "still a good friend" of Hun Sen's.
(Additional reporting by Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh. Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Thailand and Cambodia recalled their ambassadors from each others' countries on Nov. 5 after Thaksin, a billionaire on the run from a two-year prison sentence for abuse of power, was appointed economic adviser to Cambodianm Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The appointment riled Thailand's leaders who accuse Thaksin of organising and funding a red-shirted, anti-government protest movement whose street demonstrations in central Bangkok turned deadly over April and May.
"They have announced they do not have any more ties with Thaksin so our condition to hold back a diplomat has ended," Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told Reuters on Monday.
"Thailand will send our diplomat back tomorrow. Similarly, Cambodia will also send its diplomat back to Thailand."
Thaksin lives mainly in self-imposed exile in Dubai but is still immensely popular among Thailand's rural poor. His supporters held nine weeks of street protests in Bangkok that turned violent over April and May, sparking clashes with troops in which 91 people were killed and nearly 2,000 wounded.
The diplomatic row started on Oct. 23 when Hun Sen shocked a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Thailand's resort city of Hua Hin by announcing the Cambodian leader had offered Thaksin a job as an advisor, a slap in the face to the summit's Thai hosts.
The row deepened two weeks later, when Cambodia confirmed Thaksin had been made a personal adviser to Hun Sen and an economic adviser to the government, and said it would reject any request to extradite him on the grounds his removal in a 2006 coup and subsequent graft conviction were politically motivated.
That brought a rebuke from Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who recalled Thailand's ambassador and said the Cambodian government had "intervened in Thai justice" and hurt the feelings of the Thai people.
On Monday, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Thaksin had asked to resign from the role.
"We agreed to that," he said.
A Cambodian government statement said Thaksin had "provided important contributions such as ideas, vision and experience to promote Cambodia's competitiveness in commerce, agriculture and tourism." Thaksin had attracted investors to Cambodia, it added.
"Whenever Thailand sends back its ambassador, Cambodia will follow," Cambodia Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said. But he added that Thaksin was "still a good friend" of Hun Sen's.
(Additional reporting by Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh. Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
4 comments:
What the retarded Hun Sen did with Taksin, thief finds outlaw ?
Hun Sen may forget he is a PM not a bandit.
khmer people, don't be fooled by the siamese trick.
Take the khmer temple Preah Vihear case to UN/ICJ. There's nothing to negotiate. We demand the 1962 ICJ verdict be implemented and respected.
The whole frontier should demarkation by the UN as Parish agreement!
USA was choose to cary the dutty!
Thai Government has achieved the objective, which they told the world that the reason of recalled her ambassador because Hun Sen appointed Thaksin to Hun Sen's advisor.
For Hun Sen didn't get any. When he appointed Thaksin in hoping that Red Shirt would have overthrown Adhishit out of power, but it was not. A big disappointment for Hun Sen.
yo9u can see that Thaksin has been under overwhlemed presssure from bothsides to quit in order to save face, particularly hun Sen. Thai Gov't willings to drop persuing Thaksin to justice. Hun Sen very much like to see Thaksin disappears from a role playing in Cambodian Government.
Thaksin has helped Thai Government. more than Hun Sen in this case.
Adhishit now can feel more comfidence to deal with the older and more experience politician in the Cambodian Government. Hun Sen still has one card to play when he meets Adhishit about the border.
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