JAKARTA, May 5, 2011 (AFP) - A bloody border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia looks set to dominate an ASEAN summit in Indonesia this weekend, casting doubt on the bloc's rhetoric about regional integration by 2015.
Analysts and diplomats said the fighting, which has left at least 18 people dead since April 22, is expected to be a key topic at the two-day summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta from Saturday.
Current ASEAN chair Indonesia has been leading mediation efforts, but although the fighting has eased the situation remains tense and deadly firefights break out almost daily.
"The Thai-Cambodia border dispute poses a definite challenge to ASEAN's credibility and its objective of creating an ASEAN Community by 2015," said Professor Carl Thayer of the University of New South Wales in Australia.
"ASEAN's failure to broker a political solution will have a very negative impact on ASEAN's credibility as a viable regional organisation," he told AFP.
But Thayer said Indonesia can use the opportunity to play a "continuing proactive diplomatic role" while other ASEAN states can pressure Bangkok and Phnom Penh to negotiate a settlement.
A diplomatic source said ASEAN leaders would call on Bangkok and Phnom Penh to resolve the conflict, which has displaced 85,000 civilians on both sides.
The warring neighbours agreed at a special ASEAN ministerial meeting in Jakarta in February to accept Indonesian military observers at the border.
At the time, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan hailed the agreement as a "historic day" for the 10-nation bloc, but more than two months and a lot more fighting later, the observers remain in Jakarta.
"You must give credit to what ASEAN is trying to do," Surin told AFP on Wednesday, adding that February's meeting of foreign ministers and his personal mediation efforts were unprecedented for the trade-focused grouping.
"We are, I think, turning a page. We are making a giant leap forward by taking those steps. It's not going to be easy, it's not going to be resolved tomorrow."
A diplomatic briefing paper for one summit participant said ASEAN risked putting its "community-building efforts in jeopardy" if it fails to respond adequately to such bilateral disputes.
The paper said intra-regional clashes would not go well for "ASEAN's peace and stability or its credibility". How it responds is a "litmus test" for ASEAN's "ability to contribute to international peace and security", it added.
US-based Southeast Asia specialist Ernest Bower said the Thailand-Cambodia conflict "undercuts the ASEAN leaders' vision for regional integration by 2015".
ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, is aiming for an integrated community by 2015 covering economic, cultural, political and security ties.
Bower cautioned the bloc against using the Thai-Cambodia spat as an excuse for slow progress on "hard issues key to real economic integration".
"The conflict also belies ASEAN's hope of projecting a cohesive region to potential international investors," said Bower, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
ASEAN members are bound by a Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, which forbids the threat or the actual use of force in intra-regional disputes.
The bloc's first charter, or constitution, which came into force with much fanfare in 2008, has provisions for settling rows which are being sorely tested by the ongoing border spat.
"What ASEAN does now will impact on its role in dispute settlement among its members for a long time to come," Thayer said.
ASEAN's hands are often tied by its core principle of non-interference in members' domestic affairs, which means the group can only intervene with the consent of the involved parties.
In the Thai-Cambodia dispute, "ASEAN has to walk on eggshells" so as not to be seen as interfering, Thayer said.
3 comments:
ASEAN has 10 members and one of its members choose to be a career criminal and victimized other ASEAN member and what would the rest of ASEAN members want to do? Should the 9 members of ASEAN kick the fucken thief out of the group? Should the 9 members of ASEAN talk to the career criminal to change its way by doing the right thing such hand over the stolen property back to the rightful owner?
What ASEAN doesn't know that one of its members choose to be a career criminal and it will keep on stealing even killing other ASEAN member! So now the ASEAN is bounded by the so called "its core principle of non-interference in members' domestic affairs, which means the group can only intervene with the consent of the involved parties."
Now! I don't know anybody consent with the career criminal and I say shoot the fucken career criminal and talk later!
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
Hint to ASEAN:
CPP VietCong and MinhVietcong are real terrorists in SE Asia
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