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BANGKOK, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- As Thailand faces a critical flood situation, both government and opposition politicians are working hand-in-hand to address the crisis, in a display of rare political spirit shown in this region.
Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was the former prime minister and some Democrat party leaders, visited the Don Mueang Airport here at 12.20pm, where the Flood Relief Command Centre is located.
At that time, his successor, Yingluck Shinawatra, had just finished chairing a weekly Cabinet meeting at the airport.
They greeted each other and both began discussing the flood problem.
Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, right, looks at the map during a meeting on flood relief operations with former Prime Minister and Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, left, in Bangkok, Thailand Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011. (AP Photo)
Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Saturday in Jakarta that his country “has no ill intentions towards Cambodia.”
“We want to resolve this peacefully. We have a number of bilateral mechanisms that are functioning. We have continued to function while these clashes took place and there is no sense in trying to internationalize or escalate the conflict,” he said on Saturday at the first day of the 18th ASEAN summit.
Abhisit said that the settlement could “prove to the world that as members of the ASEAN family, that this can be resolved.”
Deputy government spokesperson for Thailand Suphachai Jaismut said that Thailand would likely meet Indonesia on Sunday.
“Maybe Thailand will ask Indonesia to explain about the TOR [Terms of Reference]. Until now we, have not agreed with it,” he said.
Indonesia Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa previously said that both Cambodia and Thailand had agreed on the TOR.
The following is the full text of intervention by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva responding to the Thailand-Cambodia issue during the plenary session on 7 May 2011 in Jakarta.
"Allow me to respond to the statement made by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Thailand recognizes full well that any conflict between ASEAN Member States can undermine ASEAN's community-building efforts.
I can therefore categorically state that Thailand has no intention whatsover to engage in any conflict with neighbours and countries in the region.
The border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia, like many other disputes, are long-standing. In this case, the borders have been delimited by various Treaties such as the Siamese-French Convention of 1904 and the Siamese-French Treaty of 1907. There have also been subsequent developments which have raised disagreements.
The Prime Minister reiterated the government’s position to protect national interests and public safety in resolving Thai-Cambodian border issues.
On 28 April 2011, at 16.15 hrs. at the Parliament Building, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva discussed the progress of the negotiations with Cambodia on the clashes on Thailand-Cambodia border. The Prime Minister said that we enter the process of observing the situation. Thailand will also have to perform its duties, preventing problems from arising and avoiding disadvantages. On the fact that Cambodia has strengthened its armed forces along the border, the Prime Minister said that Thailand needs to monitor the situation closely. However, there have been some discussions which are a positive sign, although Thailand still has to be watchful and monitor the situation.
On Cambodian Prime Minister’s comment that he was ready to negotiate on the bilateral basis and that a third party was needed in resolving Phra Viharn temple issue, the Prime Minister said that this is what Cambodia has already prepared to do, but it is possible to negotiate and settle disputes. However, if there is an attack from Cambodia, Thailand will follow standard responses, which all parties have recognized, as it has been doing. On Cambodia’s preparation regarding the world heritage issue, the Prime Minister already discussed with Mr. Suwit Khunkitti, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, to take care of it.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in his “Confidence in Thai with PM Abhisit” on NBT on Sunday morning that the Thai-Cambodian border situation is improving despite fighting continuing on the border near Surin for a ninth day.
Mr Abhisit said the Thai armed forces will continue overseeing the border area to prevent Cambodian troops from invading into Thai territory.
He said the armed forces will have to follow the border situation for another few days and if there is no more clash, the relocated people would be allowed to return home in the border areas.
The prime minister admitted that the evacuated people were getting stress and wanted to return home.
I agree with Tulsathit Taptim that prime ministers Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand and Hun Sen of Cambodia must come to the negotiating table before insanity reigns on both sides.
The two have been too concerned with their domestic political image, at the expense of their peoples' lives alongside the Thai- Cambodia border.
By attempting to negotiate, they will be hailed for their courage to make peace just before an all-out and protracted war begins. As ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus said more than 3000 years ago: "In war, truth is the first casualty."
In Thailand, Abhisit must stop the defence minister and the military leaders from speaking for the Thai government in general, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in particular.
Soldiers must stick to their duty as pertaining to the country's defence only. They must leave all important comments for the government to make.
In Cambodia, Hun Sen must also stop showcasing his son, Hun Manet, both as a potential war hero at the border and a chief diplomat at the negotiating table. He must not lead the world community to believe he made this particular war for his son.
Thai troops will remain in place in the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple until the border problems with Cambodia are resolved, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says.
Mr Abhisit yesterday denied a report that Thai troops were being withdrawn from the disputed area in Si Sa Ket province.
Cambodia responded to the announcement by saying it would postpone the opening of a border gate with Thailand near the temple.
Mr Abhisit said he had clearly stated that no soldiers would be pulled back as long as there was no resolution to the dispute.
Cambodia is accused by Thailand of encroaching on Thai soil by building a temple, a community and a market in the area.
Mr Abhisit insisted the soldiers would stay at their posts until the bilateral memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 was respected.
The memo requires the two countries to keep out of the disputed area while the demarcation negotiations continue.
Mr Abhisit demanded that Cambodia stop development in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear for the sake of peace until the talks were finalised.
He welcomed a report that Cambodia was dismantling its community and market in the disputed area.
The latest development proved that bilateral negotiations were making progress and the use of force was unnecessary in dealing with border issues, the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh told the Bangkok Post that Thai and Cambodian authorities did not enter into any agreement to withdraw their troops from the disputed area. However, they were being redeployed at some border stations to avoid any confrontation.
He also confirmed Cambodia's plan to reopen the Preah Vihear temple although he did not say if this would take place before the New Year.
"We have yet to discuss the details of the joint use of the area by Thailand and Cambodia, and still have many other issues to thrash out," Gen Tea Banh said.
Hang Soth, director-general of the Cambodian government-run agency managing the Preah Vihear temple, said Phnom Penh had postponed opening a border gate with Thailand near the temple. "We have delayed it indefinitely," he said.
Cambodia earlier this week said redeployment of troops by the two countries away from the border had eased the way for the gate to be opened for the first time in over two years.
The gate, which gives access to the 11th-century site to visitors from Thailand, has been closed since July 2008 after Thai protesters rallied near the ruins.
Hang Soth said the decision to delay opening the gate was taken because neither side could agree on details like whether a ticket booth could be installed on the Thai side.
Thailand also wanted Thai vendors to be allowed to sell their wares in a Cambodian market near the temple, he said.
"We disagreed because it is our territory," said Hang Soth.
BANGKOK, Dec 1 (MCOT online news) - Thai troops stationed at the Thai-Cambodian border in Si Sa Ket province will not be withdrawn when Cambodia reopens the border gate to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple this weekend, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Wednesday.
Mr Abhisit said the number of soldiers stationed at the border will remain the same and as he has clearly stated that troop withdrawal is impossible if Cambodian communities, markets and temples remain in the disputed 4.6 sq km area.
Initial reports that some Khmer communities and markets had already moved from the area, but their temples have not yet been relocated, he said, adding that the Thai authorities were to verify the report.
If the problem of the establishment of Cambodian-populated communities, markets and temples remain unsolved, Thai soldiers would stay there until Cambodia has clearly shown that they abide by the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2000 on border demarcation, he said.
"The military may consider adjustment of troops, but no withdrawal," he said.
Mr Abhisit said the move out by Cambodian communities and markets was considered a good step but the temple still there and further talks must be conducted as previous talks have proved helpful in solving problems.
The Thai premier said the government would strictly observe the ruling of the International Court of Justice and wanted all parties to observe the 2000 MoU.
Signed during the Democrat-led administration under the prime minister Chuan Leekpai, the MoU established ground rules for discussing land boundaries between the two countries. It means that neither country is allowed to use disputed territories until border demarcation is finished.
Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over Preah Vihear since the World Heritage Committee added it to the World Heritage List of 2008. The listing has nothing to do with the boundaries, but Thailand feared Cambodia would use the disputed areas adjacent to the temple as a buffer zone, particularly the 4.6 square metre area which is claimed by both countries.
Since the conflict started, there has been a military standoff, on and off, along the two countries' border and several military clashes recorded limited casualties on both sides.
The International Court of Justice on June 15, 1962 ruled in favour of the Cambodians, saying Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia.
However, relations between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai prime minister Abhisit appear to have improved in recent months following a series of meetings held on the sidelines of international and regional summits.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Monday quoting Cambodian general Chea Tara, deputy commander-in-chief who oversees troop operations at the 11th century Preah Vihear site as saying that Khmer and Thai troops were working "on a good solution to resolve the problems along the border" and he hoped that the gate will be open very soon.
Cambodia closed the gate after Thai protesters rallied near the ruins in June 2008, but, according to the French news agency, an official at the Preah Vihear authority, a government-run agency managing the temple, said there is a plan to open the gate on Sunday.
Thai troops will not be withdrawn from the disputed area when Thailand and Cambodia reopen border crossings near Preah Vihear temple on Friday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Wednesday.
"There will be no withdrawal of the soldiers while there are still villagers in the area," Mr Abhisit said.
The prime minister said, however, that there could be an adjustment of troops.
If Thai soldiers were to be withdrawn, there must be good reason for it. Cambodia must abide by the memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 on border demarcation, he said.
The Memorandum, signed during the Democrat-led administration under Chuan Leekpai, established ground rules for discussing land boundaries between the two countries. It means that neither country is allowed to use disputed territories until border demarcation is finished.
Mr Abhisit said earlier that Cambodia had violated the memorandum by moving people into a community set up inside the disputed 4.6 square kilometre area.
The prime minister said he had been informed that some Cambodian communities and markets had already moved out of the area, but their temples have not yet been relocated.
Mr Abhisit said he still believed that border conflict can be solved through talks.
BANGKOK, Oct 11 (MCOT online news) - Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on Monday said investigation found that 39 Thai men have been trained for arms use in Cambodia for a mission to assassinate this country's key public figures including Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Pol-Lt Col Payao Thongsen, chief of DSI investigators probing the terrorism charge-related activities, held a news conference on the 11 men detained in the northern province of Chiang Mai.
Local police last week arrested 11 men suspected of involvement in a movement to destabilise national security and plan to kill the country's very important persons as well as overthrow the monarchy in a resort in Mae On district.
Police said they are well-trained in using firearms. They are now under witness protection scheme in exchange for useful information which could lead to an arrest of other accomplices.
Col Payao affirmed Monday the suspects confessed to being members of the anti-government movement, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), and that they were 11 among the 39 men who were recruited and taken by Red Shirt leaders to Cambodia for arms training.
Some said they saw people using war weapons against troops in confrontation between both sides during April-May chaos, said the DSI chief investigator.
Red Shirt leaders in northern region, mainly Red Shirt disc jockeys at community radio stations, organised the meeting in three routes: the first group convened in Bangkok, leaving Thailand by way of the Chong Jom border crossing in Surin province, the second group gathered at Nakhon Ratchasima and left Thailand via Chong Jom, and the last group met at Sa Kaeo and crossed to Cambodia, according to Col Payao, adding all of them entered Cambodian territory without passing legal immigration processes.
Gen Payao elaborated that the eleven said their three-week training was held in a Cambodian army camp and they were trained by Cambodian soldiers.
The first week focused on political education but inciting anger and hatred on the monarchy while the second week was how to use military weapons and the third week was field operations training, said the DSI investigator.
The investigation also found that a map of routes leading to home of former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban who oversees national security had been used for the training of how to carry out the assassination plot and how to deal with his security guards, said Col Payao.
The investigators chief added the 11 disclosed 35 men returned to Thailand after the training was complete, while another four were chosen by Red Shirt leader Arisman Pongruangrong to be his bodyguards while he remains in Cambodia with outstanding arrest warrants for terrorism.
Among the four men remaining in the neighbouring kingdom, one was identified as Mongkol Sarapan, with arrest warrant on terrorism charge.
Col Payao described the 35 armed men arrived Thailand August 16 and then went separate ways before reuniting again in Phufa Resort in Chiang Mai in September to be standby for the operation as asked by UDD leaders in the northern region.
For the operation plan, Col Payao said, the targets of assassination include the prime minister, deputy premier Suthep, de facto leader of coalition Bhumjaithai party Newin Chidchob and acting Police Inspector-General Pol Lt-Gen Somkid Boonthanom.
Col Payao said the arrest of the 11 men occurred as one of them, Kittichai Chansawas, escaped from the group as he was unwilling to continue in the operation anymore. Mr Kittichai sought help from local residents and then reported the matter to police.
The 11 however denied their involvement in the April-May chaos when an armed black-clad group fired at security forces during the Red Shirt protests, according to the investigator.
For the remaining armed men, Col Payao said, DSI will work with security agencies to tracking them and will seek coordination from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact Cambodian authorities on the case.
When asked whether Samai Wongsuwan, suspected bomb-maker who was killed last week in an explosion at Bang Bua Thong apartment, is linked with the detained armed group, Col Payao said initial investigation did not find any connection, but the 11 men conceded there was a first arms training in Cambodia before they joined the second one.
In addition to the confessions of the 11 detainees, Col Payao said, police also have other solid evidence such as phone call details between these people and Red Shirt DJs group in Cambodia and that plastic chips similar to telephone SIM cards were given to persons who passed the training.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Wednesday he would explain Thailand's economic and political situation to world leaders during the 65th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The assembly takes place from Sept 22 to 26. The prime minister will leave for New York Wednesday evening and will return to Bangkok Sunday morning.
"I believe there are many investors in the US planning to invest or expand their businesses here," Bangkok Post online quoted Abhisit as saying.
On the plan to meet Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, Abhisit said he and his Cambodian counterpart would likely meet many times at international meetings before the end of this year.
"I'm not sure if there will be enough time for talks on the border row around Preah Vihear temple and it is not easy to get down to the details. But I can assure that both countries want to solve the problems between them peacefully, since they are good neighbours," the premier was quoted by the Bangkok Post online as saying.
Moreover, he said he has assigned Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban to oversee domestic issues during his trip to New York.
Son Chhay still maintains that that best solution that will save time and money consists of bringing up a complaint to the UN so that the latter acts as an arbitrator to find justice in the border dispute with this neighboring country.
BoPolitical analysts on the Khmer-Thai relationship are paying attention on the bilateral meeting between the leaders from the two countries who plan to meet each other during the ASEAN-US leaders meeting on 24 September 2010 in New York City, USA.
The analysts indicated that, after the two countries renewed their diplomatic ties, the resolution of the dispute between the two countries remains at a standstill, and they see no reason for a progress up until now.
At the same time, observers of the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand do not expect that the meeting between Hun Xen and Abhisit Vejjajiva in the US in the upcoming few days will result in anything positive at all.
Dr. Sok Touch, an expert in political science who used to follow up closely on the Khmer-Thai problem, explained that, based on his study, the meeting between Hun Xen and Abhisit cannot be expected to provide any major good results.
Sok Touch added that Abhisit is not a major key in the resolution of the Khmer-Thai problem: “Regarding this policy, I believe that the head-of-state-level negotiation will face difficulties. When one of them stands out as the negotiator, then his partner will be pushed down and this create enmity among the two countries, so we can see difficulties there. The Thai government needs a new player, i.e. one that will leads Thailand for 4 to 5 years, a full mandate. Abhisit is losing his popularity, therefore the meeting will only show to the world that the two countries want to find a resolution, but both of them (Hun Xen and Abhisit) only want to reap political benefits, in particular Thailand.”
SRP MP Son Chhay also has no confidence that the discussion between the Khmer and Thai leaders which will take place in the US will bear any positive result on a resolution in the aggression of Thailand into Cambodia, at the Preah Vihear temple, unlike what the public is expecting for.
However, Phay Siphan, mouthpiece of the Council of Ministers, said that the meeting between Hun Xen and Abhisit was requested by Thailand, and recently, it appears that Thailand has softened its stance, therefore the meeting will bring positive forthcoming outcome.
Son Chhay still maintains that that best solution that will save time and money consists of bringing up a complaint to the UN so that the latter acts as an arbitrator to find justice in the border dispute with this neighboring country.
Dr. Sok Touch explained also that any resolution in the Khmer-Thai dispute will require that Thailand finds its internal political stability first.
On 20 September, Tith Sothea, the mouthpiece of the Press and Quick Reaction Unit of the Council of Ministers, rejected the poisoning atmosphere campaign initiated by Thailand to put blame on Cambodia and to take Cambodia hostage in the Thai internal political problem. This campaign was conducted through a publication of Thailand’s The Nation newspaper, dated 16 September 2010, stating “Security tightened over rumours of assassination plots [against Abhisit]”.
The Nation reported that Thailand’s Santhan Chayanont claimed that a group of men in black, trained for combat in Cambodia, were staking out of Abhisit’s house.
Nevertheless, Phay Siphan said that this accusation by Thailand will not affect the meeting between Hun Xen and Abhisit.
In a speech given by Hun Xen during the inauguration of the Prek Phnov bridge on 20 September, he was mum on the meeting he will hold with Abhisit.
Hun Xen will join the ASEAN-US leaders meeting on 24 September 2010 in New York City, based on an invitation from US President Barack Obama. He will also meet Abhisit Vejjajava for a bilateral talk as well.
On 21 September, Koy Kuong, the spokesman of the ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “As confirmed, Mr. Hun Xen will hold a bilateral meeting with his Thai counterpart, but I did not receive the details of the meeting…”
On Tuesday 21 September, Thailand’s website www.thaigov.go.th posted the schedule of Abhisit’s visit to the AEAN-US leaders meeting. The schedule indicated that Abhisit will have the opportunity to meet US investors during the US-ASEAN economic council meeting. Furthermore, Abhisit will also respond to a number of questions asked to him, including the border dispute with Cambodia. However, there was no mention of his discussion with Hun Xen.
We wish the Prime Minister well as he attends this Summit in New York; may he be inspired to implement this obvious ROAD MAP toward reducing poverty in Cambodia. May he also use this occasion to raise the Preah Vihear issue with more than just Abhisit but with other ASEAN and Paris Peace Agreement signatories. A great article by the amazing singer-humanitarian BONO. - Theary Seng, Phnom Penh, 19 Sept. 2010.
Theary Seng and Singer Bono at P8, Germany, 2007
September 18, 2010 By BONO The New York Times
I’ve noticed that New Yorkers, and I sometimes try to pass for one these days, tend to greet the word “summit” with an irritated roll of the eyes, a grunt, an impatient glance at the wristwatch. In Manhattan, a summit has nothing to do with crampons and ice picks, but refers instead to a large gathering of important persons, head-of-state types and their rock-star retinues in the vicinity of the United Nations building and creates, therefore, a near total immobilization of the East Side. Can world peace possibly be worth this? Never, never...Eleanor Roosevelt, look what you’ve done ... .
Recent global summit meetings, from Copenhagen to Toronto, have frankly been a bust, so the world, which may not know it yet, is overdue for a good multilateral confab — one that’s not just about the gabbing but about the doing. The subject of the summit meeting at the United Nations this week is one whose monumental importance is matched only by its minuscule brand recognition: the Millennium Development Goals, henceforth known as the M.D.G.’s (God save us from such dull shorthand).
The M.D.G.’s are possibly the most visionary deal that most people have never heard of. In the run-up to the 21st century, a grand global bargain was negotiated at a series of summit meetings and then signed in 2000. The United Nations’ “Millennium Declaration” pledged to “ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all the world’s people,” especially the most marginalized in developing countries. It wasn’t a promise of rich nations to poor ones; it was a pact, a partnership, in which each side would meet obligations to its own citizens and to one another.
Of course, this is the sort of airy-fairy stuff that people at summit meetings tend to say and get away with because no one else can bear to pay attention. The 2000 gathering was different, though, because signatories agreed to specific goals on a specific timeline: cutting hunger and poverty in half, giving all girls and boys a basic education, reducing infant and maternal mortality by two-thirds and three-quarters respectively, and reversing the spread of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. All by 2015. Give it an A for Ambition.
So where are we now, 10 years on, with some “first-world” economies looking as if they could go bang, and some second- and third-level economies looking as if they could be propping us up?
Well, I’d direct you to the plenary sessions and panel discussions for a detailed answer...but if you’re, eh, busy this week...my view, based on the data and what I’ve seen on the ground, is that in many places it’s going better than you’d think.
Much better, in fact. Tens of millions more kids are in school thanks to debt cancellation. Millions of lives have been saved through the battle against preventable disease, thanks especially to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Apart from fallout from the market meltdown, economic growth in Africa has been gathering pace — over 5 percent per year in the decade ending in 2009. Poverty declined by 1 percent a year from 1999 to 2005.
The gains made by countries like Ghana show the progress the Millennium Goals have helped create.
At the same time, the struggles of places like Congo remind us of the distance left to travel. There are serious headwinds: 64 million people have been thrown back into poverty as a result of the financial crises, and 150 million are hungry because of the food crisis. And extending the metaphor, there are storms on the horizon: the poor will be hit first — and worst — by climate change.
So there should be no Champagne toasts at this year’s summit meeting. The 10th birthday of our millennium is, or ought to be, a purposeful affair, a redoubling of efforts. After all, there’s only five years before 2015, only five years to make all that Second Avenue gridlock worth it. With that in mind I’d like to offer three near-term tests of our commitment to the M.D.G.’s.
1. Find what works and then expand on it. Will mechanisms like the Global Fund get the resources to do the job?
Energetic, efficient and effective, the fund saves a staggering 4,000 lives a day. Even a Wall Streeter would have to admit, that’s some return on investment. But few are aware of it, a fact that allows key countries — from the United States to Britain, France and Germany — to go unnoticed if they ease off the throttle. The unsung successes of the fund should be, well, sung, and after this summit meeting, its work needs to be fully financed. This would help end the absurdity of death by mosquito, and the preventable calamity of 1,000 babies being born every day with H.I.V., passed to them by their mothers who had no access to the effective, inexpensive medicines that exist.
2. Governance as an effect multiplier. In this column last spring, I described some Africans I’ve met who see corruption as more deadly than the deadliest of diseases, a cancer that eats at the foundation of good governance even as the foundation is being built. I don’t just mean “their” corruption; I mean ours, too. For example, multinational oil companies. They want oil, and governments of poor countries rich in just one thing, black gold, want to sell it to them. All well and good. Except the way it too often happens, as democracy campaigners in these countries point out, is not at all good. Some of these companies knowingly participate in a system of backhanders and bribery that ends up cheating the host nation and turning what should be a resource blessing into a kind of curse of black market cabals.
Well, I’m pleased to give you an update on an intervention that some of us thought of and fought for as critical: hidden somewhere in the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill (admit it...you haven’t read it all either) there is a hugely significant “transparency” amendment, added by Senators Richard Lugar and Benjamin Cardin. Now energy companies traded on American exchanges will have to reveal every payment they make to government officials. If money changes hands, it will happen in the open. This is the kind of daylight that makes the cockroaches scurry.
The British government should institute the same requirement for companies trading in Britain, as should the rest of the European Union and ultimately all the G-20 nations. According to the African entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim, who has emerged as one of the most important voices on that continent, transparency could do more to transform Africa than even debt cancellation has. Measures like this one should be central to any renewed Millennium Development Goal strategy.
And the cost to us is zero, nada. It’s a clear thought in a traffic jam.
3. Demand clarity; measure inputs and outputs.
Speaking of transparency, let’s have a little more, please, when it comes to the question of who is doing what toward which goal and to what effect. We have to know where we are to know how far we’ve left to go.
Right now it’s near impossible to keep track. Walk (if you dare) into M.D.G. World and you will encounter a dizzying array of vague financing and policy commitments on critical issues, from maternal mortality to agricultural development. You come across a load of bureau-babble that too often is used to hide double counting, or mask double standards. This is the stuff that feeds the cynics.
What we need is an independent unit — made up of people from governments, the private sector and civil society — to track pledges and progress, not just on aid but also on trade, governance, investment. It’s essential for the credibility of the United Nations, the M.D.G.’s, and all who work toward them.
And that was the deal, wasn’t it? The promise we made at the start of this century was not to perpetuate the old relationships between donors and recipients, but to create new ones, with true partners accountable to each other and above all to the citizens these systems are supposed to work for. Strikes me as the right sort of arrangement for an age of austerity as well as interdependence. (The age of interrupted affluence should sharpen our focus on future markets for our sake as well as theirs.)
No leader scheduled to speak at the summit meeting is more painfully aware of this context than President Obama, who one year ago pledged to put forth a global plan to reach the development goals. If promoting transparency and investing in what works is at the core of that strategy, he can assure Americans that their dollars are reinforcing their values, and their leadership in the world is undiminished. Action is required to make these words, these dull statistics, sing. The tune may not be pop but it won’t leave your head — this practical, achievable idea that the world, now out of kilter, can re-balance itself and offer all, not just some, a chance to exit the unfathomable deprivation that brings about the need for such global bargains.
I understand the critics who groan or snooze through the pious pronouncements we will hear from the podium in the General Assembly. But still in my heart and mind, undiminished and undaunted, is this thought planted by Nelson Mandela in his quest to tackle extreme poverty: “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great.”
We have a lot to prove, but if the M.D.G. agreement had not been made in 2000, much less would have happened than has happened. Already, we’ve seen transformative results for millions of people whose lives are shaped by the priorities of people they will never know or meet — the very people causing gridlock this week. For this at least, the world should thank New Yorkers for the loan of their city.
Bono, the lead singer of the band U2 and a co-founder of the advocacy group ONE and (Product)RED, is a contributing columnist for The Times.
PHNOM PENH - Former Thai premier and fugitive from justice Thaksin Shinawatra's arrival on his private jet in Phnom Penh last year was broadcast live on local television, the climax of weeks of diplomatic intrigue that brought relations between Thailand and Cambodia to their lowest point in years.
Arriving nominally as an economics adviser to the Cambodian government, the ousted leader served mainly as a pawn in a spat between Bangkok and Phnom Penh that saw the countries withdraw their respective ambassadors and engage in an unflattering war of words over the next several months.
The abrupt announcement of Thaksin's "resignation" from his post last month has been cause for rapprochement, with ambassadors returned to their posts and a meeting scheduled between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva in New York next week.
Yet for all the pomp attached to Thaksin's comings and goings, the current rapprochement between Thailand and Cambodia can only steal the spotlight for so long from their more fundamental disagreement over their shared border. Ironically, Thaksin's advisory appointment caused significant economic harm for Cambodia.
In retaliation, Bangkok tore up a 2001 memorandum of understanding on joint development of a 26,000 square kilometer area in the Gulf of Thailand thought to contain significant oil and gas reserves. Cambodia's exports to Thailand plunged 50% year-on-year in the first six months of 2010, while many Thai investors have likely been dissuaded from investing in Cambodia in view of the acrimony between the countries.
Politically, though, Thaksin provided Hun Sen with a chance to ratchet up tensions with a traditional enemy and intensify his border rhetoric to a rather outlandish extent. "Do you dare to swear on magic that could break your neck, on a plane crash or a dissolution of the countries, that your soldiers did not invade Cambodia's territory?" Hun Sen said in a speech last year, apparently addressing Abhisit.
Tension over the border erupted in 2008 after the listing of Preah Vihear temple as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site for Cambodia, as both sides laid claim to a 4.6-square-kilometer patch of land adjacent to the temple. The issue flared up again last month after a meeting of UNESCO's World Heritage committee in which Cambodia submitted management plans for the temple.
The countries are in the process of demarcating their border, but talks have been stalled since last year pending approval of the latest round of negotiations in the Thai parliament. Abhisit and his Democrat party-led government are under intense pressure from hardline elements of the nationalist "yellow shirt" movement not to give any ground in the territorial dispute, and a vote in the Thai parliament to approve the latest negotiations was again postponed last month, to the ire of Cambodian leaders.
Cambodia has been pressing aggressively to bring attention to the dispute, appealing to both the United Nations and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for assistance. ASEAN assistance was required, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said, to help avoid "large-scale armed conflict" along a frontier in which at least seven soldiers have been killed in periodic skirmishes since 2008.
These appeals have irked Thai officials, who have repeatedly stated their opposition to border talks in any forum but a bilateral one. The move to cut ties with Thaksin may be the latest element of Cambodia's border strategy, said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.
"It gives Cambodia the upper hand when the Thaksin issue has been played out," Ou Virak said, with the move allowing Phnom Penh to "separate the Preah Vihear conflict or tension from other kinds of issues".
Amid its diplomatic maneuvering, Cambodia is also bidding very publicly to upgrade its military capabilities at the border. This week, the government announced the purchase of dozens of T55 tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Meanwhile, in a bizarre bit of corporate charity that has drawn condemnation from rights groups, a local television station is collecting donations to help build reinforced concrete bunkers for combat troops at the border.
Carlyle Thayer, a professor at the Australian Defense Force Academy, said these efforts were largely "grandstanding" for the benefit of a domestic audience. "You can't take it at face value - there's no way that Cambodia is ever going to acquire the military power to take on Thailand in a conventional military conflict," Thayer said.
He said the militarization that Hun Sen has been pushing in relation to the border may be an effort to consolidate his support in the military, an institution that is the only conceivable counterweight to his near-absolute power. "It keeps the military on his side if you talk about an external threat or their importance," Thayer said.
For Thailand, the border dispute with Cambodia remains a key issue in a domestic political crisis that shows no sign of being resolved any time soon.
"The real reason that the border issue is a problem is not because Cambodia has these claims - the real reason the border issue is a problem is that the yellows accuse the reds [Thaksin supporters] of giving away a national asset," said Michael Montesano, a visiting fellow at Singapore's Institute for Southeast Asian Studies. "The government doesn't want to have to deal with large-scale yellow-shirt demonstrations, and the lives of people in the government can be made very difficult and the lives of their families can be made very difficult if they are seen as somehow stepping back from the yellow cause."
Signs do, for the moment, point to a warming of relations. With the return of their ambassadors - absent for more than nine months - Cambodia and Thailand have now resumed full diplomatic ties, and Abhisit and Hun Sen are scheduled to meet again in October following their meeting in New York next week.
Montesano said Thaksin's "resignation" had in fact likely been brokered in secret talks between the two governments, with Bangkok perhaps hoping to get closer to apprehending red-shirt leaders known to be hiding out in Cambodia after the May 19 military crackdown on protests in Bangkok.
In a surprise move in early July, Cambodian authorities apprehended two Thais believed to be red-shirt supporters and suspected of involvement in a bomb attack on the headquarters of Bhum Jai Thai, the second-largest party in Abhisit's ruling coalition. Phnom Penh handed over the suspects to Thai authorities without a formal extradition request from Bangkok.
"This is to show the willingness of the government in fighting terrorism," Koy Kuong, Cambodia's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said after their arrests.
At the very least, Thaksin's departure has given Hun Sen and Abhisit the political cover to hold talks on economic issues and other obvious common interests. The border dispute continues to loom large in their relationship, however, and for the moment, appears indifferent to external developments.
Just one day after Thaksin's resignation was announced, the Cambodian government's Press and Quick Reaction Unit (PQRU) issued a statement accusing Abhisit of becoming "an accomplice and a sponsor of criminal-prone activity" by the yellow shirts.
"Once again, the [PQRU] urges Thai political figures to put an end to the malicious campaign of innuendo, suggestion and speculation to fault Cambodia by raising the issue of the Temple of Preah Vihear," the statement read.
Rong Chhun, CITA and CWC President (Photo: Cambodge Soir Hebdo)
Friday 10 Sept 2010 Everyday.com.kh Translated from Khmer by Soch
Rong Chhun, President of the Cambodia Watchdog Council (CWC) and President of the Cambodia Independent Teachers’ Association (CITA), said that the meeting between the Cambodian and Thai leaders in New York on 24 September will show an improvement in the border tension, however, he does not believe that this bilateral meeting can put an end to the border dispute between the two countries unless an intervention by the UN will take place. Rong Chhun told VOA yesterday: “Because we follow up on all the bilateral meetings, if we count their number of times, we couldn’t even remember how many times there were, and the result is ‘zero’, there was no outcome whatsoever in regards to the Thai aggression.”
BANGKOK - THAILAND'S Prime Minister said on Tuesday he would strive to peacefully resolve a bitter border dispute with Cambodia, and outside mediation, as Cambodia has sought, was not needed.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Cambodia's recent appeal to the United Nations to help negotiate is unnecessary because a 2000 agreement between the countries provides the framework for a solution.
He accused Cambodia of causing the problem by moving people onto 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometres) of disputed land around the Preah Vihear temple. Both countries have a heavy troop presence in the area, and have had several small but sometimes deadly clashes in the past few years.
The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that the 11th century temple belongs to Phnom Penh.
UNESCO named it a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status. The country submitted a management plan for the temple recently to UNESCO's World Heritage Commission, which deferred a decision until next year.
Mr Abhisit is under pressure to move aggressively because Thai right-wing nationalists have protested that Cambodian actions there threaten Thailand's sovereignty. They also want Thailand to revoke the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding as jeopardising Thai territorial claims, which Mr Abhisit denies.
PM Abhisit urges Thais to support government on ancient temple
BANGKOK, August 1 (MCOT online news) - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday urged Thais to support his government in making a detailed study of the disputed Preah Vihear temple to show the UN cultural body.
Thanking the public for its display of love for Thai sovereignty which he said led UNESCO’s World Heritage Commission (WHC) to postpone adopting the Cambodian plan to manage Preah Vihear, Mr Abhisit said during his weekly TV and radio address that his government would work hard during the next year to protest Cambodian actions.
Mr Abhisit invited Thais to join in studying the issue with his government and convey their findings to UNESCO and heritage committee members.
The WHC agreed Thursday to postpone adopting the Khmer plan to manage the temple until next year when it meets in Bahrain after Thailand threatened to review its membership and many Thais rallied at the UNESCO Bangkok office.
Preah Vihear temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962. UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage site in 2008, after Cambodia applied for the status.
The ancient temple is located atop the Dangrek Mountains, about 150 miles north of the Cambodian capital. Reaching it by road is easiest from the Thai side of the border.
While expressing satisfaction with the postponement to next year, Mr Abhisit said confusions still exist which have led to allegations and disputes [among the public] in Thailand which could benefit Cambodia.
Mr Abhisit said his government would also organise a platform so that the issue could be discussed and would not affect Thai government’s efforts in dealing with the matter to protect Thai sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Samran Rodphet, New Politics Party executive committee member, told a news conference that the government should revoke the Thai-Cambodian Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2000 because it put Thailand at risk of losing territory and the prime minister should open a forum for all Thailand's sectors to express their opinions.
The opposition Puea Thai Party also called for the government to designate the Preah Vihear problem as a national agenda concern and gather opinions from all sectors and to work truly for the benefit of the nation.
A border market in the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket was quiet on Sunday after rumours of possible tension which might lead to a border closure. However, the border situation remains normal.
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that his government would spend the next year in making preparations to fight against Cambodia's management plan of the Preah Vihear world heritage site.
The consideration of the management plan has been delayed for a year by the Unesco World Heritage Committee.
Speaking during his weekly TV programme on NBT, the prime minister said he had seen a copy of the management plan and his government would make preparations to dispute it.
He said he had not changed his stand, which he had when he was the opposition leader to oppose Cambodia's unilateral registering Preah Vihear as a world heritage site.
He said he had never accepted that Thailand had overlapping plot with Cambodia near the ruined Hindu Khmer temple, indicating that he regarded the plot belonged to Thailand.
