M'am You Ay fielding another reply to the Bangkok Post

Ambassador replies

30/07/2012
Bangkok Post

I wish to clear up some points of misperception written by Thitinan Pongsudhirak in the opinion section of the Bangkok Post on July 27 entitled "Asean rifts widen as China, US rivalry grows".

First, those who said the Peace Palace was ''funded and adorned by Chinese arts'' are simply ignorant people.

The building's construction was fully funded with the national budget of Cambodia and its internal adornments reflect quintessential Khmer ancient art forms.

The building was designed and built by young Cambodian architects and engineers. China provided assistance only for the construction of the adjacent building and not the Peace Palace.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance of Cambodia has all the documents on the expenditure for the Peace Palace's construction.

Second, the assertion that China has become an ''open patron state of Phnom Penh'' with more than US$10 billion (310 billion baht) in aid and investment is purely insulting.

If that is the case, does the author consider China as the open patron of many other states in Asean and elsewhere when these countries have received many more billions of dollars of aid and investment than Cambodia from China?

Third, the allegation that Cambodia ''shared the draft version of the joint statement with the Chinese, who then vetoed it'' is extremely disparaging and slanderous. Those who make such scathing remarks against Cambodia have no other intention than to defame Cambodia's credibility.

When and where did Mr Thitinan obtain this information, or did he copy it blindly from one other journalist without credible facts to substantiate their allegations? Or is it a deliberate smear campaign against Cambodia?

Fourth, as to the assertion that the community objectives of 2015 can neither be taken at face value nor for granted, we believe that no one in Asean has ever taken for granted the noble objectives of achieving the Asean Community in 2015.

As a matter of fact, the lack of consensus on the bilateral issue of the South China Sea is only a temporary hiccup, as much as there were many other hiccups in the past, and yet Asean has prevailed.

Already the issuance of Asean's Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea is a step forward toward an eventual resolution.

Last, one must ask why two Asean member states opposed the 45th AMM Joint Communique if their bilateral issues were not included? But a week later, they accepted the Six-Point Principles.

During several restricted meetings, Cambodia proposed exactly the same substantive elements.

Cambodia's proposal has been categorically rejected by the two Asean member states which have bilateral territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The answer is clear: these two Asean countries had their own hidden plan to sabotage the AMM and made the JC a hostage of their bilateral disputes.

MADAM YOU AY

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia