Bangkok Post
EDITORIAL
Football diplomacy moves Thai-Cambodian relations forward. It does not settle any of the outstanding bilateral disagreements. Authorities in both countries may be able to use the sports encounter to make progress at more important meetings.
Sports diplomacy is always a good tension breaker. The weekend football match in Phnom Penh was no exception. It was so diplomatic, in fact, that Cambodians joined the Thai team and Thais joined the Cambodian team. With a crowd estimated at 50,000 looking on, everything came up roses, with the team headed by the top dignitary, Prime Minister Hun Sen, coming out on top, with smiles all around. Hands were shaken. Smiles were contagious. A good mood was undeniable. But no problems were solved, and there are important and urgent disagreements between our two countries.
The idea of football diplomacy instigated by some Pheu Thai members of parliament is a good one. For sure there were political motives behind Saturday's game at the Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium. Fugitive ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had already left Cambodia for Hong Kong, but the match was about him, and about the new government led by his sister, Ms Yingluck.
Hun Sen has made, and continues to make quite a big deal out of the Pheu Thai election victory. On Saturday, he repeated his statement that the bad old days - "the nightmare era - was over. By that, as everyone knows, he meant that the Democrat Party was defeated at the polls. Hun Sen has a continuing and troubling disrespect and personal dislike of ex-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and of former foreign minister Kasit Piromya. (To be fair, Mr Kasit's attacks on Hun Sen during the 2008 yellow shirt period were equally, unfairly personal.)
It is encouraging to see Thai and Cambodian representatives smiling and establishing personal relations. It is quite another, however, for the leader of Cambodia to continuously use such visits by Thais to boost his own agenda. The Thai government has changed, but Hun Sen's policies have not. Visits by Ms Yingluck, Thaksin and the Pheu Thai football-playing MPs have not changed the determination of the Cambodian leader to claim the disputed land at Preah Vihear temple. A football match has not altered in any manner Hun Sen's claim on the probably carbon-rich waters off Trat province.
The coming of the new government should not lull Hun Sen into thinking he can divide Thais. Football diplomacy is an ice-breaker, no more. It can never lead to a new policy on important, national issues. It must be remembered that it was unprofessional of Hun Sen to push the former, Democrat-led government into deadly combat along the border. The new, friendlier diplomacy between the two countries is immensely welcome. Last week's joint decision to pull troops back from the Preah Vihear area, for example, lessens the chance of accidental war.
The agreements and disagreements between two neighbours have not fundamentally changed. Hun Sen still has an influential, nationalist group which expects him to best Thai diplomats and officers. So does Ms Yingluck. Mr Kasit was the first to tell the media that Cambodia must "never think that you will get at our natural resources and territory" via football diplomacy. As usual, Mr Kasit ruined it by adding that he suspects Pheu Thai will "give away national assets to Cambodia". They will not, any more than the Democrats gave away Thai territory or dignity during their times in office, no matter what Pheu Thai propaganda said.
Football diplomacy moves Thai-Cambodian relations forward. It does not settle any of the outstanding bilateral disagreements. Authorities in both countries may be able to use the sports encounter to make progress at more important meetings.
8 comments:
The Thais have never changed their desire to possess what they think are theirs whether it is rightful or not.
The Vietnamese has already got a large chunk of what they want from Cambodia and continue to manipulate politics with a strategy to get even more.
Cambodians are so divided among themselves and have no clue on how to resolve the differences among themselves.
The problem facing Cambodia and her people is quite deadly to the national interests.
Hun Sen's government has to go, but the problem is, it won't go even though it loses the election in 2013, which is quite unlikely when one looks at how strong the grip is on eveything by the CPP in Cambodia and the unlikeliness of universal outcries from the rest of the world when the election is fraud with irregularities.
What has been given to the Vietnamese will never be reversible considering the total dependency of the CPP government behind close door on Vietnam in order to stand strongly against the Thais.
Cambodia could even lose more land and resources to the two land and resource-hungry neighbours if there were a civil war, but then again with an uprising or a civil war, which is very unlikely considering the mentality of the majority of Cambodians, there is a hope of a better government.
It looks like Hun Sen's dream of rulling Cambodia till his is 99 years old is an avoidable reality unless he dies before then.
Pissed off
Correction:
"...till he is is 99 years..."
Pissed off
Correction:
"...is..unavoidable reality ..."
Pissed off
It seem obvious that this Preah Vihear issue was created by the UNESCO organization to "Pissed Off" the Thai & Cambodian people that they should from thereon butt heads against one another. Another words, it was a created crisis for the purpose...? I have my guess.
Whoever drawn the border line slipped in the "trouble" for this very purpose.
Khmer Israel
I agree with you pissed off!
Well said Pissed Off!!!
Pheu Thai party is about free and fair election and against dictator, but yet they befriend with a cambodia dictator who does does not give free and fair election to his own people and a dog for the Youn.
Ah Kwaxck take the good time the small soldiers and poor get the bad time and killed!!!
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