Abhisit walking a tightrope

January 24, 2011
By Tulsathit Taptim,
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation

Prime minister continues his balancing act over Cambodia and domestic nationalism

What can Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva do to make both Cambodia and his highly charged nationalistic compatriots happy? Going on a special TV programme last night may have ended up offending both of them.

He walked a tightrope yesterday as he attempted to address, in front of a national audience, the issue of seven Thais arrested by Phnom Penh and the controversial "release" of five of them. Abhisit didn't want to make it sound too belligerent toward Cambodia but he also needed to pacify the increasingly restless yellow shirts, who are set to return to the streets tomorrow. The result was a TV speech that was somewhat ambiguous and pleased nobody.

P Penh unlikely to be happy

Phnom Penh, still detaining two Thais, is unlikely to be happy with his adamant statement that the conviction of the five Thais, who were released thanks to court leniency, would change nothing as far as territorial disputes were concerned. The Cambodian court verdict on the five Thais only affected the five individuals and Abhisit said his government was preparing to tell Phnom Penh just that.

If Cambodian leader Hun Sen understands why Abhisit needed to sound that way in front of a domestic audience, the yellow shirts are unlikely to accept his explanation why the 2000 Thai-Cambodian memorandum of understanding cannot be cancelled as they demand. Abhisit also refused to give weight to claims that the seven Thais were arrested on Thai soil, or at least in a disputed area.

Abhisit stood before a backdrop showing an aerial map of the contentious area where the Thais were detained. He avoided proclaiming if the Thais were arrested in Thailand or in Cambodia, only pointing on a spot where a tentative borderline is marked. The prime minister said video evidence showed the Thais must have been arrested near that spot, probably beyond the tentative borderline which consequently led Cambodian authorities to capture them.

The seven went there with an honest intent to investigate villagers' claims about their land affected by Cambodia's territorial claims, Abhisit insisted. That much he was clear-cut about. Whether or not they crossed the tentative borderline, which he called "operation line", he declined to pinpoint. The prime minister only said the Thai authorities did their best to get information from all sides including the Cambodians in trying to determine where they were apprehended.

Abhisit's domestic rivals, some of them former allies, have insisted that the case of the seven Thais - their arrest, convictions and the Thai government's "acceptance" of the convictions - means the prime minister and a few senior Thai officials committed a serious crime that should be punishable by death.

The rivals say Abhisit's awkward handling of the issue has given Cambodia an upper hand in a territorial dispute, and the law prescribed death by execution for anyone who caused Thailand to lose parts of its territory.

The People's Alliance for Democracy is to hold a press conference today in response to Abhisit's TV address. Its planned rally tomorrow may give momentum to its splinter group led by Santi Asoke monks already encamped near Government House. The so-called Thai Patriots Network has been peaceful in its protest, but vowed to stay put until Abhisit steps down.

If the TPN and PAD needed a further motivation for their anti-Abhisit campaign, they must have found it in the prime minister's insistence that the 2000 MOU had to be maintained, because it was the only deal in place where both countries agreed to disagree over problematic demarcation. Without the MOU there would be no framework for talks and use of force would be the only remaining option, he said.

Before the evening address, Abhisit also insisted Thailand would not withdraw from being a member of the World Heritage Committee, a forum that has made decisions in favour of Phnom Penh concerning Preah Vihear Temple. "We have met with several countries' representatives and thanks to our explanation they have had more understanding about the issue now," Abhisit said. "This is why it's not necessary to withdraw from the committee."

His nationalistic rivals must have been upset by that - but so must the Cambodians. Abhisit said Thailand's continued presence on the committee had only one aim: To block Phnom Penh from unilaterally managing the temple in disputed areas.

The committee will meet on the issue in June. That will come quick, but it's anyone's guess if Abhisit's balancing act can carry him until then.