Mending bridges and revitalising cooperation

January 28, 2009
By Kavi Chongkittavorn
The Nation

In diplomacy, every gesture and response counts. At first, the scheduled courtesy call by Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday afternoon was supposed to last about 20 minutes. But the visit turned out to be nearly an hour of discussion. Before leaving Phnom Penh a few hours later, Kasit told the Thai delegation over dinner he had been impressed by Hun Sen's good memory and that he had done his homework. After he greeted Hun Sen, he said the Cambodian prime minister reminded him of their work together at the Paris Peace Conference in 1989, which brought an end to the Cambodian civil war and peace to the country. Kasit also recalled that at the end of the conference, he walked to Hun Sen and shook hands, saying that Thailand and Cambodia would work together to develop the war-torn country. "Now that moment has come again," Kasit said.

A few minutes into the meeting on Sunday, Kasit told Hun Sen that he wanted to learn from the region's longest-serving leader.

"I am 12 years younger than you, and I am 8 years older than Abhisit," Hun Sen quickly responded.

From that moment, both leaders struck up a rapport and began a dialogue about peaceful settlement of border issues and cooperation on issues like the flow of the Bassac River, one of Cambodia's lifelines.

The two-day visit by Foreign Minister Kasit over the weekend was very successful. It would not be an overstatement to say that the outcomes of Kasit's discussions with Hun Sen and Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong will serve as the foundation for future Thai-Cambodian relations. There are three reasons for such optimism.

First of all, Hun Sen and Hor Namhong reiterated throughout the meeting that Thai-Cambodian relations are very important because they affect Asean as a whole. Hun Sen was correct when he stated the two countries have obligations as members of the regional grouping to move their relationship forward in a positive way. Over the past months, the simmering border disputes and tensions between the two neighbours have caused great concern among Asean leaders, with the fear that the two countries might even pit their troops against each other.

Another problem has been the repeated postponement by host Thailand of the Asean leaders summit meeting. Hun Sen has now confirmed that he will attend the summit, which will be held from February 27 to March 1 in Hua Hin.

In this connection, Kasit said he would take up the Emerald Triangle Cooperation proposal for Thailand, Cambodia and Laos at the upcoming summit. Hun Sen had proposed this plan to promote tourism in the scenic area where the three countries meet. So far the proposal has not moved ahead as Laos is still studying it. Thailand hopes that with the global economic recession, tourism cooperation under this ambitious plan will be pushed forward.

Secondly, Hun Sen reiterated that any bilateral problems between Thailand and Cambodia must be resolved through negotiation and peaceful means. This has already become a template for Thai-Cambodian relations. In his letter to Hun Sen, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva also stressed that the existing mechanisms would be used to settle bilateral issues. The bilateral border meetings will resume early next month. Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan is scheduled to visit Phnom Penh in early February. He will discuss troop adjustments along the Thai-Cambodian border. Both sides are clear that all avenues and sources must be exhausted before they seek assistance from any third party.

In addition, the stalled discussions on overlapping maritime areas in the Gulf of Thailand will resume. The estimated 20,600 square-kilometre area under discussion is believed to be rich in oil and gas. The Thai Cabinet has yet to approve a new senior Thai official to head the combined negotiations on the land and maritime issues but Cambodia is enthusiastic about kick-starting the discussions simultaneously.

Both sides agree that there should not be any bottlenecks in their cooperation since there are numerous activities and development plans either in progress or due to get underway. Kasit quoted Hun Sen as saying there are 40-50 programmes going on, and that one problem alone should not be enough to impede the whole cooperation effort. One indicator will be the speed at which Thailand returns seven ancient Khmer artifacts that were stolen and discovered inside Thailand. The government of former prime minister Samak Sundaravej pledged to return the pieces but nothing has been done on the matter so far. Kasit said that the Thai Ministry of Cultural Affairs is in the process of dealing with the issue.

Thirdly, with the renewal of understanding between the two countries, Hun Sen and Kasit ventured that if there is any future misunderstanding or misinterpretation emanating from sources such as the media, pressure groups or non-governmental organisations, quick telephone calls between leaders and officials on both sides would mitigate any possible negative effects. The two leaders were mindful of numerous online statements aimed at sowing discord between Thailand and Cambodia.

Finally, for the first time, there will be more exchanges at the personal level between members of the legislative branch in each country. There have been no such exchanges before, even though Thailand and Cambodia have similar parliamentary systems. During a meeting between Chea Sim, president of the Cambodian Senate and Heng Samrin, chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly, both agreed an increase in the number of exchanges between Thai and Cambodian politicians would promote better political understanding and cooperation. In addition, for the first time, the Democrat Party will initiate cooperative schemes with the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

Before the Thai delegation checked out of its Phnom Penh hotel on Sunday evening, a junior Thai official got a call from the Cambodian Foreign Ministry saying that the host country would pay additional expenses beyond the payment norm for Kasit, the chief of the Thai delegation. The official, who works at the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, was surprised and immediately informed his superiors that "Cambodia was happy with the talks".

Excellent jump start for Thai-Cambodian relations [... so claims Thailand alone!]

January 28, 2009
The Nation

After a year of border tension and political frustration, Cambodia has a new sense of confidence in Thailand

It is difficult to describe the current relationship between Thailand and Cambodia without taking into consideration the positive body language of representatives of the two countries, as well as other nitty-gritty details, on display during the two-day visit to Phnom Penh by Thailand's Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya over the weekend.

The trip was successful because Foreign Minister Kasit managed to restore confidence among the Cambodian leadership, especially Prime Minister Hun Sen, in Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his government. Over the past year, the lack of political stability in Thailand and the frequent changes of foreign minister and government have worried our Cambodian friends. But it seems now that the Cambodians are confident the new Thai administration is a partner they can deal with.

Hun Sen was also pleased with Abhisit's letter to him citing his statement in Oddar Meanchey that any bilateral problems between the two countries should be solved through peaceful means, negotiation and the non-use of force. Both Abhisit and Hun Sen see eye to eye on this. The Thai leader has reaffirmed that the border issues will be resolved through the existing bilateral mechanisms.

"As we are immediate neighbours and share a common border, traditions and cultures, my government is committed to bringing better security and more prosperity to the livelihood of our two peoples and countries," Abhisit said in part of his letter, and it was that kind of spirit that was displayed throughout the visit. Preparations are now underway for Abhisit to visit Cambodia.

Back in 1989, Kasit was part of the Thai delegation at the Paris Peace Conference, which Hun Sen also participated in. At their meeting over the weekend, the two vowed to work together again like they did twenty years ago to bring peace to Cambodia. But this time the stakes are higher because both countries are Asean members and they have an obligation to work for the benefit of the regional grouping. Thailand is ready to do that. In the near future, the country is planning to release a grant of Bt1.8 billion for a highway construction project in Cambodia.

From 1986-2008, Thailand provided grants of Bt1.2 billion and soft loans totalling Bt2.2 billion to Cambodia for infrastructure development projects. Other assistance included technical cooperation and training in various fields. Despite the tension of the past year caused by border demarcation disputes at the Preah Vihear temple and other historic monuments, trade between the two countries amounted to US$1.8 billion (Bt63 billion) last year, up from US$1.4 billion in 2007.

In the near future, additional cultural and personal exchanges will increase, including between the two countries' legislators. For the first time, the Democrat Party will establish ties, and cooperate with, the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

Thai-Cambodian relations are now on firmer ground and the two sides are ready to move on. However, the Thai opposition parties and ill-intentioned individuals continue to use vitriol to undermine the friendship. So much so that Hun Sen has told the Thais that both sides have to avoid falling victim to misunderstanding and misinterpretation coming from sources such as unconfirmed reports from media or non-governmental organisations. Both countries have suffered recently from such rumour-mongering and even mud-slinging.

The recent calls from Singapore and Burma to boycott the upcoming Asean Summit in Thailand were a bit silly. The postponement of the Asean summit from last December has already damaged Thailand's international reputation and the grouping's interest. But at this point, all Asean members have confirmed their participation. They want to see a successful summit chaired by Thailand. They know that a strong and successful Asean that has agreed on economic and financial cooperative frameworks will be of benefit to all members, especially during this time of global economic crisis.

But make no mistake, Thai-Cambodian relations are pivotal within the Asean context. Hun Sen was right when he said the state of ties between the two countries could affect Asean as a whole. Cambodia is an active member in Asean initiatives, especially most recently in the drafting of the Asean charter and the terms of reference for the new Asean human rights body.

The border tensions last year even led to brief exchanges of gunfire between Thai and Cambodian troops, and naturally this caused great concern among the Asean members. After all, no member countries have ever gone to war with each other before. And this is a record and legacy the grouping wants to maintain. The Abhisit government knows that relations and mutual trust with Cambodia must be improved and solidified before the countries can go beyond the bilateral framework. At the same time, Thailand has emerged from a political abyss and is now moving towards a more stable political condition. However, time is still needed before this situation can be consolidated further.