Cambodia shows soft policy with Thailand

By Meng Bill

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia is trying to show its soft policy with Thailand as much as possible, a motivation aiming to avoid tense and military confrontation along the two countries' border areas.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen had made a quick sending of congratulation letter to Yinluck Shinawatra, dated August 5, soon after she was elected by the Thai House of Representatives as the Prime Minister of Thailand.

However, such a letter was not officially announced or made available to the media until Tuesday.

When reached for comment, Phay Siphan, spokesman of the Council of Ministers, said Prime Minister Hun Sen's quick sending of the letter was a gesture of a leader in the neighboring country who wants to express sympathy and to live in peace and harmony.

He said referring to the troublesome border conflict with Thailand since it first erupted in 2008, and thus Cambodia desires to avoid further military confrontation that will risk the lives of the soldiers as well as the lives of the civilians.

However, Phay Siphan said that Hun Sen had made the same gesture with former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen was making the same such quick approach to Abhisit Vejjajiva soon after he was elected as a prime minister," he said, adding that "as always Cambodia shows soft and friendly approach to Thailand."

Sources who attended the weekly cabinet meeting unveiled Tuesday that Hun Sen had told his government members last Friday that he had worked hard with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on resolving the border problems, but it did not work well. Now, with the new government to be formed and to be led by Yingluck Shinawatra from the Pheu Thai Party, Hun Sen expressed his optimism that there will be a more conducive environment for the two countries to resolve the border problems.

Obviously, in the letter to Yingluck, Hun Sen said "I am very optimistic that, with our shared determination, Your Excellency and I will be able to restore the bonds of traditional and fraternal friendship, good neighborliness and productive cooperation between our two peoples."

He further said "I look forward to working very closely with Your Excellency to serve the interest of our two nations and peoples and to resolve all problems peacefully, thus upholding harmony between our two nations and contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region."

From the Cambodian side, many Cambodians strongly hope that Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Hun Sen's friend, will carry out a more positive and peaceful approach with Cambodia on the border issues. Cambodia has been working hard on the issues, fearing it cannot challenge with Thailand, a richer, stronger and bigger neighbor; therefore, it has approached the regional and international intervention.

In the region, Cambodia has approached the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); at the same time, it asked the United Nations Security Council and lastly the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for help.

Now, the ball is in the hand of the new Thai prime minister to handle -- that is the implementation of the order by the ICJ on July 18 on the withdrawals of both sides' troops from the newly defined demilitarized zone surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple.

For Cambodia, Hun Sen has made it clear that his country is ready to comply with the order whenever ASEAN observers are available to witness and secure the ceasefire in the so-called " disputed area" near the Preah Vihear Temple.

In 1962, the ICJ ruled that the Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Cambodia, but failed to specify the surrounding area, leaving Thailand to claim 4.6 square kilometers, the root cause of the conflict until today.