Bangkok Post Editorial
The spectacular collapse of the conference of foreign ministers in Cambodia last week is a major setback for Asean. As the group's secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said, it is a harsh lesson. Years ago, Mr Surin was one of the strongest voices in the region arguing against the outdated use of the so-called principle of non-interference to try to paper over tough decisions. Last week, Asean was so crippled by this outmoded rule of engagement that it was publicly humiliated and unable to engage.
It does not help that China is mostly to blame for the embarrassing end to the summit of Asean foreign ministers and a couple of dozen outside counterparts. Beijing's serial refusals to address the serious problems of territorial disputes in the South China Sea were well known before the Cambodia meetings. Asean's stated aim and its duty was to bring some order and stability to a problem that currently risks shooting wars between China and the Philippines, and between China and Vietnam. Failure was always possible, but the mortifying collapse of the talks is unacceptable.
The argument, which grew heated, was over the wording of a statement for the meeting. The Philippines and Vietnam insisted that the dispute be described, to include a confrontation between Manila and Beijing over a reef known as the Scarborough Shoal. Beijing angrily rejected its inclusion.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told the media that Cambodia supports no side in the South China Sea dispute. But this is tendentious at best, anti-Asean at worst. By opposing the Philippines and Vietnam, his Asean colleagues, Hor Namhong precisely supported China. The Cambodian diplomat decided to support the Chinese side against the two Asean members.
The Cambodian foreign minister can at least argue that he was caught in the middle of the unpleasant, unnecessary dispute. China can make no such claim. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told the media before leaving for home that he wanted a ''win-win'' conclusion between his country and the United States. He did not say the same about Asean.
And now China has been caught with its own pants down. A Chinese navy frigate ran aground and is firmly stuck in waters claimed by the Philippines.
It gets worse. China agreed last month to withdraw all ships from the area. It also dispatched 20 ships to disputed waters around the Spratly Islands during the Cambodia meeting of foreign ministers - obviously to defy Asean.
China claims two things: that Asean has no standing to negotiate on the South China Sea, and that, even if it did, there is nothing to negotiate. Neither claim is the action of a good neighbour. When US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton innocuously hoped that ''all nations of the region should work collaboratively and diplomatically to resolve disputes'', the state-controlled Chinese media mouthpieces attacked her as if she had threatened to use force.
The taciturn, even bellicose, Chinese words and actions last week are troubling. They are no less troubling, however, than the decidedly divided and helpless-looking Asean.
For the first time in 45 years, the group was unable even to issue a conference-ending statement. There must be serious introspection and adjustments, and quickly.
A group so divided against itself cannot expect a truly united economic union just three years from now.
16 comments:
Khmer is famous to be dog of many countries: China, Vietnam, USA, just a dick
Smart pinoy
Thai newspaper EDITORIAL - The Nation July 15, 2012, accused Hun Sen of acting only of self interest above ASEAN is a laugh to me. It failed to explain what is Hun Sen's self interest is?
His self interests for the Cambodian people are:
- let the flow Viet come to Camboda freely
- let them shit all over Cambodians head.
- give vietnam land and villages for free
- arrest people and put them in jail for anti-illeg viet
- draining Cambodian's money by using viet's electricity
- making Cambodian people homeless by selling their land to foreigners
- selling schools and other assets to foreigners deprives Cambodia of icons
- deprive Cambodian people at the border of viet by having no police and military personnel, viet do at will to the local by having protection from the Cambodian side
- last time when Sam Rainsy went the border to help, Hun Sen made him a criminal
Those are some of Hun Sen's self interests for Cambodia, which the Thai Nation newspaper should publish to the world.
correction
- deprive Cambodian people at the border of viet by having no police and military personnel, viet do at will to the local by having NO protection from the Cambodian side
stop blaming cambodia with your upset, pinoy, etc, ok. perhaps asean needs to reform itself with its "outdated non-interference" clause. so, can't say cambodia's fault of taking side, etc, you know. maybe it's the asean non-interference policy that asean member states needs to reform, etc, really. to be fair to cambodia, asean in the past pretended not to know preah vihear case and even koh tral island case with cambodia and vietnam. of course, koh tral was a dispute between cambodia and vietnam for your information. just because some people did not bring it up, doesn't mean cambodia accept koh tral as vietnam island, it's not vietnam island; it's always a khmer island since ancient time, you know. and asean non interference policy did not help in any of these issues, you know. can't accuse cambodia of this non concensus, ok! cambodia did a good job as well because what would you do if the philipines were the chairman at this meeting? i'm sure the code of conduct was the best solution to this controversial issue now, so can't expect a magical solution overnight just because cambodia was a chairman, ok. get educated, please.
and stop saying that cambodia is a stauch ally of china or whatever. that's has nothing to do with the dispute at south china sea, ok! is the philipines a staunch ally of the US? plus, cambodia has changed and not a commy anymore, so stop your bias, prejudice, discrimination, etc, toward cambodia again, ok! time has changed, so did cambodia, really! the point, is non of this has anything to do with cambodia's chairmanship this year, really. the philipines wrongly accusation of cambodia is itself what cause asean confusion and in disarray, not cambodia's fault, really! and stop politicizing every situation about cambodia, either, ok. there are more to cambodia than you and i, really!
To 4:58 AM Smart pinoy?
Well...if you are such a Smart Pinoy like the rest of the Pilipino people and how come you don't know how to solves your fucken problem with China and instead you want to Khmer people to solve it for you? Now you know how stupid you are! ahhahahhah
If Pilipino are not a dog to USA and how the fuck Pilipino nurses can work in the USA that easy? Why you Pilipino want USA to do the dirty work for you such as enforce your right to the sea and you can't fight for your right?
Welcome to bad neighborhood of Southeast Asia and Cambodia had fought many wars and have become the Afghanistan of Southeast Asia and you Pilipino nowhere near that no and don't you claim to be better than Khmer! You ain't no Smart Pinoy and you ain't shit either! Just shut the fuck up!
6:38 AM, you are barking at the wrong dog. He isn't a Pilipino.
smart pinoy, stop calling yourself smart because you are embarrassing the rest of the fillipi people, ok. we know the philipines was once a colony or spanish and american, so stop depending on america to help you all your life, really. it's time for the philipines to stand by themselves for a change, really. and stop calling cambodia a staunch ally of china, so what if we are! aren't you a slave of america before? i read your history, i know, ok! so stop bad mouthing the chairman, ok! go face china yourself according to asean's non-interference policy, really! you have better solution beside hiding behind america? what if america stop helping you, who you look for help next, really. think about it, ok. and look at yourself in the mirrow before you blame cambodia for your antagonist view with china. cambodia and asean for that matter don't want any of that, really, asean, have enough problem with its own already, stop making it worst for asean, ok.
To 7:01AM
You too shut the fuck up!
The problem of this world is all about superpower nation vs superpower nation and in the end the little are being used to test their limit of power. We little asian nations are the pawn of the superpower nations that is to be used, abused and then killed. The main perpetrators are USSR, US, and China. They are the triangle of evils against God's will. Wherever, they go, they tried to destroy. About ASEAN summit is another tactic played by these superpower nations. Knowing that they had done enough damages to us already but yet, still, they like to continue to beat us on top of that. The questions are, when are they going to stop playing such evil game with each other and what are they going to stop using little asian nations for their play ground?. If they want, why don't they use their own country to deal and why use Cambodia and then to shame us again and again. Let me tell you (perpetrators) this, hell is waiting for all of you for working against God's will. God said to love one another and what did you do? but hate, revenge, murder and destroy his creation. I can't wait for the judgement day come, really.
The problem of this world is all about superpower nation vs superpower nation and in the end the little are being used to test their limit of power. We little asian nations are the pawn of the superpower nations that is to be used, abused and then killed. The main perpetrators are USSR, US, and China. They are the triangle of evils against God's will. Wherever, they go, they tried to destroy. About ASEAN summit is another tactic played by these superpower nations. Knowing that they had done enough damages to us already but yet, still, they like to continue to beat us on top of that. The questions are, when are they going to stop playing such evil game with each other and what are they going to stop using little asian nations for their play ground?. If they want, why don't they use their own country to deal and why use Cambodia and then to shame us again and again. Let me tell you (perpetrators) this, hell is waiting for all of you for working against God's will. God said to love one another and what did you do? but hate, revenge, murder and destroy his creation. I can't wait for the judgement day come, really.
I agree with you 8:44 am.
For Cambodia joining ASEAN was an economic and now political mistake.
i think people overlook the economic reason for all of this. why can't they understand time and instead look for way to settle cooperative and all can benefit some way, instead of focusing more on control. maybe it's reflects on their greeds, their evilness, their animal instinct like the fish big eat the small fish in the law of nature. but we humans are not animals, why we want to be like the animals like shark, croc, tiger, lion, african buffalo, python, killer whales, etc, etc? why?
where is the meaning of share, cooperation, friendship, or is their economy depends on conflicts, wars, etc that can create jobs for them to keep the economy going and so forth. well, if that's the case, i don't blame the superpowers out there, i think it is up to the smaller countries out there to wake up and stop being a zombie or a slave by manipulation of bias, prejudice and discrimination, etc... wake up, and say stop using me, i have my own mind, i won't let you use me again. say that to them because they are educated and they should understand you all, really.
some people did to cambodia, and they expect cambodia do them a favor or to understand them or to take their side, etc. shame on those ones who did not take issue that cambodia raised with them like preah vihear, koh tral island, etc, i mean, plus many other issues out there, but they don't think the cambodia's one is important enough render a look, shame on them, really! and now their karma is slowly catching up with them and they started to feel the pain of cambodia when they did that to cambodia. it's god way of telling them, hey, stop basing and hurting cambodia, cambodia did not do anything wrong, really." i mean, someone got to speak for cambodia in all of this, really. cambodia is too afraid to talk, i will talk for cambodia when necessary here.
The fucken South China Sea disputes are pure bilateral issue between some ASEAN countries and China and why it should be on ASEAN agenda?
When Thailand invaded Cambodia in 2008 the whole ASEAN forced Cambodia to deal with Thailand as bilateral issue!
What is so special about Phillipine and Vietname wanting to turn South China Sea disputes into something that it is not?
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