Thai-Cambodian row does neither any good

In May, Abishit's government ordered a military crackdown against the red shirt demonstrators (Photo: AP)

10/08/2010
Pavin Chachavalpongpun
Opinion
Bangkok Post

When Kasit Piromya was with the Democrat Party in opposition, he violated all diplomatic regulations with Cambodia. He made a number of unflattering remarks about Prime Minister Hun Sen by calling him a kui (a derogatory term meaning a tramp), a khikha (slave) of Thaksin, and a nakleng (gangster).

Just when one thought that diplomacy was a fundamental ingredient behind amicable relations among nations, the current diplomatic spat between Thailand and Cambodia simply deconstructs this illusory definition of diplomacy.

In the world of diplomatic protocol, extravagant titles, fussy dress codes and flowery language seem to be of equal importance to substance in any bilateral relationship. Former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai once said that diplomatic protocol was so vital that it could make or break a relationship with a foreign counterpart.

Yet the present episode in Thai-Cambodian relations should remind the Thai government that overlooking the basic rules of diplomatic behaviour can be extremely detrimental to the national interest.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared during a televised discussion with the Thai Patriots Network, that the use of military force would be the last option. Although Mr Abhisit emphasised that his government had done its best to avoid armed confrontation with Cambodia, he stated that the armed forces and security agencies were ready to defend the country if a border conflict appeared inevitable.

This apparently allows Cambodia to reconstruct Thailand as an aggressive nation - a perception that could further damage the image of the government which, in May, ordered a military crackdown against the red shirt demonstrators.

In retaliation, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen immediately sent a letter to the United Nations, complaining about Thailand's threat to use force against his country. He stated: "By seriously threatening to use military force against Cambodia to settle the problem of border, Thailand flagrantly violates Article 2.3 and 2.4 of the United Nations Charter... In the face of this serious threat of use of armed force against Cambodia to settle the border demarcation, I earnestly request [the UN Security Council] to circulate this letter to all of its members."

The conflict should first have been managed within a bilateral context. Yet that seems impossible as both sides are unwilling to talk to each other. The fact that Cambodia has turned to the UN means it hopes to internationalise the situation and indeed embarrass Thailand in front of the world community. After all, Cambodia is the rightful owner of the Preah Vihear temple. The conflict has been going on for a few years now and Cambodia has portrayed itself as a victim of Thailand's domestic conflict which, again, is partly true.

It can be argued that the latest flare-up is because Mr Abhisit is seen to have endorsed the "use of force" in order to satisfy his nationalist supporters. Despite the context, he should have known that the "use of force" is a taboo term in the diplomatic community.

Jonathan Eyal, a London-based journalist, argued that diplomatic protocol has evolved over centuries into a code of behaviour governing relations between sovereign nations. The basic rule of diplomatic protocol is reciprocity: a country should not do anything it does not wish to see done to itself. So, if Mr Abhisit wants to threaten his Cambodian neighbour, he must be ready to be threatened in return.

This is what Mr Eyal called the art of "diplomatic insult". In a recent article he referred to some of the most famous snubs in the history of diplomacy. In 1077, for example, Pope Gregory VII kept the German Emperor waiting in the snow for three days before granting him an audience. In 1958, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was denied a meeting with Nikita Khruschev because the Soviet leader was at the dentist's. Mr Eyal pointed out how the phrase "diplomatic toothache" thus entered the vocabulary.

In recent times, a diplomatic insult is carefully calibrated to express great anger without openly antagonising an opponent. In 1997, Indian leaders boycotted a state dinner for the visiting British Queen following injudicious remarks made by her Foreign Secretary. In 2005, Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi abruptly terminated her trip to Tokyo because the Japanese premier visited the controversial Yasukuni shrine.

Cambodia's reaction to the Thai premier's statement is the latest reflection of how bilateral relations could be held hostage by the work of diplomatic insult.

When Kasit Piromya was with the Democrat Party in opposition, he violated all diplomatic regulations with Cambodia. He made a number of unflattering remarks about Prime Minister Hun Sen by calling him a kui (a derogatory term meaning a tramp), a khikha (slave) of Thaksin, and a nakleng (gangster).

When Mr Abhisit appointed Mr Kasit as foreign minister, Hun Sen felt that the diplomatic insult had been made official. Hun Sen was then willing to breach every rule in the diplomatic book to discredit the Abhisit government. His diplomatic retribution was swift and brutal.

In the past year, Hun Sen launched a no-holds-barred attack against Mr Abhisit. The exchange of harsh words became a powerful diplomatic tool and has already driven Thailand and Cambodia into a series of armed conflicts along their common border.

Leaders have exercised their diplomacy, not to inculcate a sense of good neighbourliness, but to humiliate each other. Today, PM Abhisit is seen to have humiliated Hun Sen to please the Thai audience. Hun Sen is doing the same to Mr Abhisit, but through the United Nations.

At the height of the bilateral conflict, Thailand recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh to protest against Hun Sen's appointment of Thaksin Shinawatra as his country's economic adviser.

Usually - as Mr Eyal observes - the downgrading of diplomatic relations, depending on the circumstances, may last anything from a few days to a few years. If the row escalates, a complete breaking off of diplomatic ties is possible.

Cambodia has broken off its diplomatic relations with Thailand many times, especially from the 1950s to 1962, the year Thailand lost its Preah Vihear case to Cambodia.The continued diplomatic insult could indeed lead to an interruption of Thai-Cambodian diplomatic relations. Without open channels of communication, things could turn even more unpredictable - and violent.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun is a fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

Chalerm attacked for video threat

October 6, 2009
The Nation

Veteran opposition politician Chalerm Yoobamrung came under fire yesterday for his threat to send to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen a video of Kasit Piromya - now the foreign minister - criticising him.

Kasit, formerly a senior diplomat, made critical remarks about Hun Sen when he participated in a protest by the People's Alliance for Democracy last year, shortly before he became foreign minister.

MR Priyanandhana Rangsit, an appointed senator who is deputy chair of the Senate committee on foreign affairs, said yesterday it would be improper for Chalerm to act in such a way.

"It is really improper to attack someone with a matter of the past. It's not a good idea for ties between the two countries and between Kasit and Samdech Hun Sen," she said, referring to the Cambodian leader by his Cambodian title.

She said Kasit's status had changed and he was now the Thai foreign affairs minister and no longer an activist affiliated with the PAD.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said it appeared Chalerm was trying every way possible to get his political camp back into power and acting for their benefit. "That could cause damage to the country," he said.

But Suthep said he had no concern that Chalerm's move might threaten ties with Phnom Penh, as he believed the Cambodian leader had a good grasp of Thai politics.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen is a senior politician with a good understanding of politics. I don't think I need to call him [to explain about the matter]. But if I have time, I will call on him again to talk about bilateral ties. We must keep good ties with our neighbours," he said.

Suthep visited Hun Sen a few months ago following a border dispute between the two countries.

Thai cabinet asked to sack Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya

Reported by Khmerization

The majority members of the Thai cabinet wanted the Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to reshuffle his cabinet. They also proposed the removals of two cabinet ministers, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya (pictured) and Deputy Prime minister Korbsak Sabhavasu who is also a Finance Minister, report Deum Ampil newspaper.

The majority of the cabinet members consider the two ministers to be too controversial to serve in the cabinet. The cabinet members were angry with Mr. Korbsak because of his reluctance to spend money in the constituencies proposed by the coalition members from the minor parties.

They wanted Mr. Kasit removed because he was a leader of the yellow-shirted protesters who had occupied many Thai airports during their protests in December of 2008, reports Deum Ampil.

Mr. Kasit had also made many controversial remarks against Cambodian PM Hun Sen by calling him a "kuy" (gangster) during one of his TV appearances. During the parliamentary debate last month he had infuriated Mr. Hun Sen by calling him "a gentleman with the heart of a gangster" (suparp burot jai nak leng) which had culminated into armed clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops on 3rd April 2009 that resulted in at least 4 Thai soldiers killed.

Hun Sen accepts Kasit’s apology

03 April 2009
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Hun Sen replied to Kasit Piromya in a letter dated 02 April.

Hun Sen displayed his reconciliation with Kasit Piromya, indicating that “the Cambodian people and [himself]” uphold the “spirit of peace” after receiving the apology letters from the latter.

“I believe that the relation between you and me, as well as between our two countries, will improve soon,” Hun Sen wrote. “The letter that you sent me and the present one have a common point: they express both our wills to become friends rather then enemies.”

“I hope to meet you during the ASEAN summit in Pattaya [starting from 10 April],” Hun Sen added.

I didn't mean it: Kasit

Kasit Piromya (left) said that comments that he made about Mr Hun Sen in a parliamentary debate had been incorrectly translated. -- PHOTO: AFP

April 2, 2009
AFP

BANGKOK - THAILAND'S foreign minister has apologised for a 'misunderstanding' after being accused by Cambodian premier Hun Sen of calling him a gangster, officials said on Thursday.
Cambodian officials released a scanned copy of a letter from Kasit Piromya, the Thai minister, saying that comments that he made about Mr Hun Sen in a parliamentary debate had been incorrectly translated.

A furious Mr Hun Sen blasted Mr Kasit on Tuesday as he made a speech on tensions between the two countries, saying that the top Thai diplomat had insulted him and adding: 'He has called me a gangster.'

Mr Kasit's letter, dated April 1, said that 'Nak Laeng' - the Thai word he used to refer to Hun Sen - 'means a person who is lionhearted, a courageous and magnanimous gentleman'.

'Do kindly accept my deep apology for such an unfortunate incident and the unintentional cause of misunderstanding,' the letter continued.

A Thai foreign ministry confirmed that Mr Kasit had sent a letter to Mr Hun Sen.

A leading Thai dictionary shows that the word 'Nak Laeng' can have both of the meanings implied by Mr Hun Sen and Mr Kasit.

Mr Hun Sen launched the broadside against Mr Kasit shortly after warning Thailand to be prepared to fight if its troops crossed the disputed border between the two countries, where a deadly gunbattle erupted last year.

A Thai soldier lost a leg in a mine blast in the disputed region on Thursday.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: A Gentleman

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Thai Injured in Border Mine Blast

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
02 April 2009

One Thai soldier was injured Thursday when he stepped on a landmine near a contested area of land on the border of Preah Vihear province, officials said.

The soldier, Chalong Mody, was injured near Veal Entry, or Eagle Field, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told VOA Khmer. The field has been the site of several past skirmishes that led to the deaths of at least three Cambodian and one Thai soldier.

“After the Thai soldier stepped on the mine, another group of around 30 soldiers came to rescue him, firing into the air,” Phay Siphan said. “But the Cambodian side did not fire back.”

Cambodian and Thai soldiers are engaged in a protracted border dispute that began in July 2008, near Preah Vihear temple. Late last month, both sides had a tense stand-off, when the Thais reportedly entered Eagle Field and were then encircled by Cambodian soldiers.

Thailand has accused Cambodia of planting new mines along the border in the most recent dispute, but a top military official on Thursday denied this.

“I believe the mine was not newly planted,” Royal Cambodian Armed Forces commander Gen. Pol Saroeun told VOA Khmer by phone Thursday. “It’s just an old mine from the conflict between the Cambodian government and the Khmer Rouge.”

Var Kimhong, chairman of Cambodia’s joint border committee, chastised the Thai side for the incursion.

“The Thai side does not respect the law,” he told VOA Khmer. “We already have a memorandum of understanding, so why does the Thai side never respect Cambodian sovereignty? The Thai side should wait for us to install the border markers to show which is the Thai side and which is the Cambodian side.”

Thursday’s landmine incident comes after a new round of strained relations between the two neighbors.

Earlier this week, the Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong called on his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya for allegedly calling Prime Minister Hun Sen a “playboy” in remarks to parliament last week.

On Thursday Kasit issued an apology for a “misunderstanding,” claiming that the Thai word “neak leng,” which in Khmer sounds like “playboy,” was in fact a Thai phrase for “lion-hearted,” or “magnanimous.”

Hun Sen wrote back, saying the Cambodians who had elected him prime minister would not feel “satisfied.”

Thai FM says sorry for vocabulary misunderstanding with Cambodian PM

PHNOM PENH, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has apologized to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for the misunderstanding of the word he used to describe the premier, according to his letter received here on Thursday.

"Do kindly accept my deep apology for such an unfortunate incident and the unintentional cause of misunderstanding," said the foreign minister in the official letter dated April 1 for the prime minister.

"I have the honor to refer to the recent news reports that Your Excellency is concerned with the terms that I used to describe Your Excellency during the parliamentarian debate session in Thailand," he wrote in the letter.

"In the Thai language, the word 'Nak Leng' which I used during the debate means a person who is lion-hearted, a courageous and magnanimous gentleman, and this is what I referred to you as an expression of my appreciation of and respect for Your Excellency," he added.

On Tuesday, Hun Sen lashed out against Kasit Piromya, for he recently called the premier a "gangster."

"I am neither a gangster nor a gentleman, but a real man," the official Agence Kampuchea Presse quoted the prime minister as telling a road inauguration ceremony in Sihanouk province.

Hun Sen asked the Thai foreign minister to correct the comments that he made.

"To correct or not, it is your right. But, I wish that you choose good words because we are neighbors. We need mutual respect," he added.

According to the prime minister, Kasit Piromya called him a "gangster," because he was angry with the premier for having issued an ultimatum to Thailand to pull its troops out of the Cambodian border area of Veal Intry last October.

Thai troops had armed clash with the Cambodian ones there in October last year, causing death and casualties on both sides.

Thai 'gangster' insult a matter of definition, say Bangkok officials

Thursday, 02 April 2009
Written by Ngoun Sovan and Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post

Thai foreign minister says he intended to praise Hun Sen as ‘sportsmanlike" and "big-hearted".

PRIME Minister Hun Sen lashed out at Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya for allegedly branding him a "gentleman with the mind of a gangster", as Thai diplomats scramble for their dictionaries, claiming the phrase was a routine compliment that was lost in translation.

"I am neither a gangster nor a gentleman, but a real man," the prime minister said Tuesday during the inauguration of Samdech Hun Sen Quay in Preah Sihanouk province's Stung Hav district.

Hun Sen said the comments came to light in late March after lawmakers belonging to Thailand's opposition Puea Thai Party showed parliament video footage of Kasit referring to Hun Sen as a "gangster", during which Kasit amended his phrase to "gentleman with a mind of a gangster".

"If you used such language with other countries ... your country would drop down to a cheap status," said Hun Sen.

"If I insulted your king and queen, what would you say? If I insulted your prime minister or your ancestors, what would you say?"

Hun Sen also said he had an electoral mandate and requested the Thai government to respect the dignity of his office as the legitimate leader of Cambodia. "I am not angry with you, but you must use dignified words ... with other state representatives," he said.

Phay Siphan, spokesman of the Council of Ministers, agreed that the Thai foreign minister, as a professional diplomat, should not use such words to refer to the prime minister of another nation. "[Hun Sen] is an elected prime minister, and when he says things like this, it casts disdain on our nation," he said Tuesday.

A matter of semantics

But Thai officials have defended Kasit, saying the Cambodians mistakenly confused the Thai term nak leng - meaning "gangster" - with the phrase jai nak leng, which translates as "big-hearted", "generous" or "manly".

"Jai nak leng in Thai is a compliment, it is very positive," said Kamrob Palawatwichai, first secretary of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

"A man who is responsible for his work is also called jai nak leng. My foreign minister ... did not have any intention to mean it in a negative way."

In a letter to You Ay, Phnom Penh's ambassador to Bangkok, Thai Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Wirasakdi Futrakul claimed the term meant "big heart", and that if the term had been meant in a negative sense it would not have appeared next to the term suparb burut ("gentleman").

"My foreign minister was complimenting Hun Sen as a big-hearted or sportsmanlike gentleman," he wrote.

But Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that the Thai statements had not yet absolved Kasit of wrongdoing.

"We have not jumped to conclusions about the letter because we are examining how the meaning of the word changes from Thai language to English language," he said.

"We have not replied to the letter as well because we are waiting for a personal letter from Kasit to respond to what he said."

"Neak Leng" may mean "a big heart" in diplomatic Thai, but it clearly means "thug" in Khmer

Thailand: Foreign Ministry clears misunderstanding of Minister’s choice of words

April 1, 2009
Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs

On 1 April 2009, Mr. Tharit Charungvat, Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry spokesman, responded to the press regarding the reaction by His Excellency Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, to Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya’s remarks during the censure debate at the Thai parliamentary on 20 March 2009.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman noted that the matter was a misunderstanding as to the correct interpretation of the terms used by Minister Kasit to describe the Prime Minister of Cambodia. The term the Minister used during the debate was “Suparb Burut Jai Nak Leng”.

The Foreign Ministry as well as the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh already discussed with the Cambodian side to clear up this unfortunate misunderstanding.The Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, also talked to the Cambodian Ambassador to Thailand.

The spokesman further explained that in Thai language, the word “Nak Leng” or “นักเลง” has several connotations, including, among others, tough guy, big-hearted person and sporting. When the Foreign Minister combined this word with the term “Suparb Burut,” which means a gentleman, into the term “สุภาพบุรุษใจนักเลง” (“Suparb Burut Jai Nak Leng”), it clearly shows that he meant that His Excellency Samdech Hun Sen was “a gentleman” (“Suparb Burut”) with “a big heart”. (“Jai Nak Leng”) or a sportsman-like gentleman. Any Thais, when asked what “Suparb Burut Jai Nak Leng” means, would concur that this term is a compliment.

Kasit's insult on Hun Sen "has a positive meaning": Thai FM spokesman

Cambodia's PM Hun Sen may misunderstand Thai FM

Tue, March 31, 2009
The Nation

Thai Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denied that Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya did not insult Cambodia's

Foreign Ministry's spokesman Tharit Charungvat said Hun Sen may misinterpret and misunderstand.

The spokesman was referring to an AFP report from Phnom Penh which quoted Hun Sen as blasting at Kasit for allegedly insulting him by calling him a gangster.

"He insults me -- he has called me a gangster," Hun Sen said of the foreign minister.

"What if I insult your king? What would you say if I insulted your prime minister and your ancestors? I'm not angry with you, but please use dignified words," Hun Sen was quoted as saying in AFP.

Tharit said Hun Sen might misinterpret Thai dialect of which Kasit called him "Nak Leng" (tough man).

The word has a positive meaning, rather than defamation, Tharit said noting that the ministry would clarify to Hun Sen through diplomatic channel later.

Prime Minister Hun Sen made such statement in the context of borer conflict as he warned Thai troop not to invade Cambodia's territory any more.

Cambodian officials said last week some 100 Thai troops briefly entered the areas adjacent to the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear where border skirmish erupted in October last year.

"I tell you first, if you enter (Cambodian territory) again, we will fight.

The troops at the border have already received the order," Hun Sen said at a Ceremony to open a road named after him in the seaside resort of Sihanoukville.

"I am the leader of Cambodia who was elected by the will of the people, not by robbing power," he added, in an apparent reference to Thailand's current political instability, according to AFP.

Spokesman Tharit said Thailand believed that peaceful means and negotiations would resolve border dispute.

Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary would meet April 6-7 to continue discussion on boundary settlement. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva would visit Cambodia April 18.

"...he has called me a gangster": Hun Sen's all talk but no action with Kasit Piromya

The "gangster" shaking hand with his "insulter"

Cambodian PM warns Thailand on border dispute

2009/03/31
AFP

PHNOM PENH, Tues.: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen today warned neighbouring Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops again crossed their disputed border.

The premier made the remarks a week after Cambodian officials said some 100 Thai troops briefly entered contested territory near an ancient temple where a deadly gun battle broke out last year.

“I tell you first, if you enter (Cambodian territory) again, we will fight.

The troops at the border have already received the order,” Hun Sen said at a ceremony to open a road named after him in the seaside resort of Sihanoukville.

“I am the leader of Cambodia who was elected by the will of the people, not by robbing power,” he added, in an apparent reference to Thailand’s current political instability.

Hun Sen also told his audience that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will visit Cambodia on April 18, but blasted the Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya for allegedly insulting him.

“He insults me — he has called me a gangster,” he said of the foreign minister.

“What if I insult your king? What would you say if insulted your prime minister and your ancestors? I’m not angry with you, but please use dignified words.”

Tensions over the long-disputed territory flared in July last year after the 11th century temple was granted United Nations world heritage status.

Soldiers clashed in the area in October, leaving four troops dead.

Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have not resolved the dispute. Thai officials denied that any of their troops had crossed the border last week.

A spokesman for the Thai foreign ministry, Tharit Charungwat, said it had not received an official report on Hun Sen’s speech, but added that there had been a “misinterpretation” of earlier comments made by Kasit regarding Hun Sen.

“Thailand wants to avoid using force and supports using border mechanisms to solve problems. The border mechanism is working well,” Tharit said.

The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.