Cambodia's promise to move troops doubted [-How about Thailand, can it be trusted?]

Democrats tell Yingluck to confirm withdrawal


16/07/2012
Bangkok Post

The Democrats have questioned the sincerity of Phnom Penh's withdrawal of troops from disputed borders, a decision which was confirmed on Friday.

Cambodia's move to replace its 485 soldiers with 350 border patrol and tourist police was confirmed by Defence Minister ACM Sukumpol Suwanatat after talks between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Siem Reap on Friday.

But Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut called on Ms Yingluck to make sure Cambodian solders "really withdraw" from the 17.3 sq km area around Preah Vihear temple, marked as a demilitarised zone by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Elections Loom for Tense Thailand

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva speaks to reporters after a news conference at the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta May 8, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

Monday, May 9, 2011
By SIMON ROUGHNEEN
The Irrawaddy

BANGKOK - Thai Prime Minster Abhisit Vejajjiva is scheduled to announce details of Thailand's parliamentary elections this evening, with a July 3 date as voting day, after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej endorsed the dissolution of parliament earlier today. The elections do not have to be held until the end of 2011, while an offer was made a year ago by Abhisit to hold a vote in October 2010. Early or late, Thailand's parliamentary elections could offer a way out of the country's five-year old cycle of protests and violence, or they could open a new chapter of division.

Last week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report on Thailand's 2010 protests, which resulted in 91 people being killed, most of them civilians. HRW cited the Thai government and Thai Army for inappropriate and excessive use of force in the report, while dismissing the Redshirt protesters' claims that their demonstration was peaceful and saying that armed “Blackshirt” paramilitaries instigated street fighting on April 10 2010 as the Thai Army sought to remove protesters from the streets around Bangkok's Democracy Monument.

Domestic issues fuel Thai-Cambodian spats

Papa Xen's future dick-tator Hun Manet

Apr 30, 2011
By Nelson Rand
Asia Times Online

NONG KUN NA and BANGKOK - Fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops along their disputed border continued on Friday for an eighth consecutive day despite reports the day before that a temporary ceasefire had been reached.

Since armed hostilities resumed on April 22, at least 16 people have been killed, over 50 injured and at least 50,000 displaced on both sides of the border. Strategic and political analysts foresee sustained sporadic fighting, though the chances of the clashes escalating into full-scale war still seem slim.

"Thailand's and Cambodia's relationship is fragile and fighting will likely erupt again," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai political scientist at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. "The dispute has been too politicized that it will take a long time before ties will be healed," he added.

"I doubt that a ceasefire will hold because the border tensions are now being driven by their own dynamic," said Marc Askew, a senior fellow at the University of Melbourne who specializes in Thai politics and security issues and who is editor of the recently published book Legitimacy Crisis in Thailand.

The latest bout of fighting is centered around a disputed hill near the ancient temples of Ta Krabey and Ta Moan, representing an expansion of previous hostilities that centered on the contested Preah Vihear temple. Although both countries have long laid claim to these ancient ruins and border territories, most analysts believe the conflict is being driven more by domestic politics in both countries.

"[The border conflict] is a function of the two states' domestic politics, and especially Thailand's civil and military relations in the midst of a major political transition," wrote Stratfor, a United States-based private intelligence firm, in a recent analysis of the conflict.

"On the Cambodian side, nationalism is always a way to boost Prime Minister Hun Sen's leadership, and Cambodia is no doubt willing and ready to exploit a neighbor consumed by intense factional politics," Stratfor wrote in a separate analysis.

The [Thai] government has no intention whatsoever of using the Thai-Cambodian border conflict for political gain (sic!); Suthep

Suthep slates foreigners' Thai analysis

29/04/2011
Bangkok Post

The government has no intention whatsoever of using the Thai-Cambodian border conflict for political gain, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said yesterday.

Mr Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs, dismissed criticism by foreign analysts that the government might be using the border conflict with Cambodia to tout its political credentials.

Since the latest border spat erupted last Friday, foreign media outlets have offered wide-ranging analytical comment on the cause of the fighting.

US magazine Time interviewed a public policy analyst who said the Thai army was using the security dispute to attract attention, command influence and seek a prominent role in politics.

Duncan McCargo, professor of Southeast Asian politics at the University of Leeds in England, suggested in The Independent broadsheet newspaper that the border dispute was essentially the result of an ongoing struggle between Thailand's military, the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office.

As election looms, Thai generals go on offensive

Thu Apr 28, 2011
By Martin Petty

PHANOM DONG RAK, Thailand (Reuters) - Thailand's military is on the offensive -- and not just in its deadly border skirmishes with Cambodia.

For decades, the country's history has been shaped by the balance of power between three institutions -- the monarchy, the military, and parliament. With elections looming that could upset this fragile balance once again, Thailand's generals have come out fighting.

For investors, the risks are rising. The last time the military grabbed a dominant role in politics, following a coup in 2006, the stock market collapsed following disastrous use of capital controls that took months to unwind.

There is also no guarantee that another bid by the military to reassert a dominant role would be as bloodless as in 2006.

The ancient temples under fire in an age-old conflict

Cambodian villagers evacuated during clashes rest at a pagoda in Oddar Meanchey province (AFP/Getty)

Clashes on Cambodia-Thailand border are threat to sites. Andrew Buncombe reports

Tuesday, 26 April 2011
The Independent (UK)

Duncan McCargo, professor of South-east Asian politics at the University of Leeds, suggested that the border dispute was essentially the result of an ongoing struggle between Thailand's military, its foreign ministry and the Prime Minister's office. "In the past, the Thai army has always demanded the right to pursue an independent foreign policy to advance its own ends. By prosecuting this bizarre and pointless border war, the military is trying to present itself as the true guardian of the national interest, seizing the moral high ground from civilian politicians," he said. "However, the conflict is further eroding Thailand's international credibility and is proving a headache to both Asean and the UN. The sooner the Thai military accepts that foreign policy is the preserve of elected governments, the better."

As gunfire crackles and grenades explode along a disputed stretch of the Thailand-Cambodia border, diplomats are anxiously seeking an end to clashes that have left 12 people dead and forced almost 50,000 into emergency evacuation centres.

Gunfire and explosions could be heard again yesterday on a remote stretch of the border, close to two 12th-century temples claimed by both sides, as the bloodiest conflict between the two neighbours in two decades entered its fourth day. Later, firing intensified, dashing expectations of a quick end to the clashes.

Thailand's Foreign Minister had called for one-on-one talks, but he later appeared to back away from his comments as the clashes worsened.

His appeal came after a senior regional envoy, responsible for brokering an earlier peace deal between the two sides, cancelled a planned visit to the two countries. The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, chairman of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), of which Thailand and Cambodia are members, said the opportunity for talks still existed. "The possibility is not closed for a direct meeting among the three of us ... The important thing is that communication continues," he said.

Thailand Going Rogue

Thai rogue general: Prayuth Chan-ocha

Thai rogue general: Tawatchai Samutsakhon

Bangkok's political turmoil is damaging regional stability

APRIL 26, 2011
The Wall Street Journal

Fighting over the disputed territory surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple along the Thai-Cambodia border resumed last Friday, with both sides trading artillery fire and accusations of targeting civilian villages throughout the weekend. The Associated Press reports 12 soldiers confirmed dead.

The world may never know which side started the latest clash, since Thailand continues to resist allowing international observers to monitor the area. And both countries deserve some blame for stirring the pot at various times. Nevertheless, it has become increasingly clear that the Thai military is doing nothing to ease the tension.

That much we know from the way that the military, and then Bangkok, vetoed initiatives to get the two sides talking. After the last major bout of fighting in February, Cambodia succeeded in bringing the matter to the United Nations Security Council, which promptly kicked it back to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Indonesia, the chair of Asean this year, has played shuttle diplomacy trying to bring the two sides together, but Bangkok continues to balk. That has allowed Cambodia to play the aggrieved and more reasonable party.

Thai clashes spark coup fears [-Clashes sparked by Thai army to prevent election?]

Thai refugees gather in a holding camp after being evacuated from the scene of deadly fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces in Surin province near the border. Source: AFP

April 25, 2011
Sian Powell in Bangkok
The Australian

TENSIONS rose in Thailand yesterday as a fiery border clash with Cambodia entered its third day and coup rumours swept Bangkok.

The fresh outbreak of fighting took place ahead of an expected announcement that the nation would go to the polls in July.

Thousands of people have been forced to flee the disputed jungle frontier after fighting broke out on Friday, shattering a tense two-month ceasefire.

Each side has accused the other of restarting the armed conflict, in which at least 11 people have been killed. Public accusations of invasion, artillery bombardment and poison gas bombing have been aired in increasingly inflamed rhetoric on both sides.

Is the [Thai] army using the Cambodian border issue to preserve its hegemony in Thai politics?

The Thai Military's Latest Sortie

Saturday, 23 April 2011
Written by Pavin Chachavalpongpun
Asia Sentinel

From this perspective, the military has gone on the political offensive. The royalist army chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, has assumed his full-time political role and now administers Thailand from his comfortable barracks. He has become the darling of the pro-elite media, appearing on television more frequently than the handsome Oxford-educated prime minister. One of his political activities is to file a complaint against some core leaders of the red-shirt movement for committing lèse-majesté.

The generals danced at dawn

At sunrise in Thailand's Surin province, the tranquil Good Friday morning of April 22 was disrupted by exchanges of gunfire between Thai and Cambodian troops. The real causes of the latest armed clashes were unknown. But what is known is that both sides have accused each other for initiating the skirmish and prolonging a deep sense of hostility.

"Cambodian soldiers fired with assault rifles at Thailand first and... started to shell us with artillery," Thai Defense Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon said. He also added, "I think Cambodia wanted to take over temples on the border." 

Meanwhile, Cambodia accused Thai troops of entering its territory. "Thai troops crossed the border and attacked our military bases," said Cambodian defense ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat.

This was followed by an urgent note sent by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong to the United Nations Security Council, complaining about what he claimed was a "deliberate act of aggression." Thai artillery shells had landed 21 km inside Cambodian territory, he said in the note, which was released to media in Phnom Penh.

The current tit-for-tat accusation has exhausted analysts who are monitoring the tense situation along the Thai-Cambodian border. One the surface, it is just another violent breakout between the two estranged neighbors. At a deeper level however, it indicates an increasingly agonizing state of Thai domestic politics.

First, the Good Friday clashes have provided another much-needed opportunity for the Thai military to take full control of foreign policy vis-à-vis what is perceived to be the country's number-one enemy. Over the past months, the Thai army has been wrestling hard with the Foreign Ministry for the overall domination of foreign policy toward Cambodia. For the army, taking over foreign policy is crucial, as this guarantees its political role as well as authority in the decision-making process.

Thai-Cambodia Border Dispute Adds to [Thai] Election

APRIL 24, 2011
By JAMES HOOKWAY
The Wall Street Journal

Thai military leaders have repeatedly denied any plans to launch a coup or otherwise influence the democratic process, while government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn says the latest clashes with Cambodia were triggered by unexpected troop movements on the Cambodian side of the border.

BANGKOK—A simmering border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has killed at least 10 soldiers over the past three days and also threatens to complicate a heated political environment in Bangkok, where rumors are swirling about military coups or other ways to block planned elections.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a cease-fire late Saturday and urged both sides to find a diplomatic solution to the long-running border dispute. But clashes continued into Sunday morning and Cambodian officials said shooting again erupted in the afternoon. Thai officials have reported four of their troops killed, with Cambodia acknowledging six fatalities so far in a duel fought mostly with long-range artillery shells.

Analysts say there is a strong political dimension to the border conflict, which reignited in 2008 when Cambodia secured U.N. World Heritage status for an ancient temple within the disputed area. Nationalist movements in both Thailand and Cambodia have stressed the importance of claiming the Preah Vihear temple for their own countries, and eight people were killed in clashes near the temple site in February before this latest conflict, about 160 kilometers away.

Suwit stays on to head temple talks

21/04/2011
Aekarach Sattaburuth and Pradit Ruangdit
Bangkok Post

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti has decided to stay on as head of the Thai delegation to a World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris in June.

Mr Suwit had a change of heart after a meeting with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya yesterday.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Suwit said the meeting agreed to set up an ad-hoc committee to solve the border conflict with Cambodia.

The prime minister wanted him to lead the committee to ensure that there is policy unity in handling the issue, said Mr Suwit.

Suwit explains move over role in temple row

April 21, 2011
By PIYANART SRIVALO
THE NATION

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti yesterday denied that he changed his mind about withdrawing as the chief negotiator in the Preah Vihear Temple dispute with Cambodia because of a remark by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban.

"The issue does not belong to the natural resources minister actually. I just volunteered to do the job in the first place, and this time is a second chance. I volunteered to do the job, but it's not my duty," he said.

Suthep reportedly had said that Suwit, as a Cabinet member, had been assigned that role and if he wanted to quit, he should also quit the Cabinet.

An army chief who dons too many hats [-Prayuth: The Jack of all trades, master of none]

Prayuth: The Thai "Jack of all trades, master of none"

April 20, 2011
By Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation

In most democracies, the role of the Army and its chief are rather limited. However, it's different in Thailand, where the Army chief has been busy donning too many hats lately.

Here are just some of the hats that Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has put on over the past few weeks:

• That of a top diplomat: Prayuth has been telling the Foreign Ministry what Thailand's foreign policy should be towards Cambodia in relation to the border dispute.

• That of an election chief: On April 5, the local media reported Prayuth as saying: "There must definitely be an election. I have said that there will be." However, some members of the Election Commission are more concerned that there might be a coup.

• That of a not-so-convincing denier of coup rumours: Prayuth can never be convincing on this subject because of the role he played in the 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin Shinawatra. How can he, who was involved in a coup then be denying the threat now?

• That of an adviser to all Thai voters: "Vote to protect monarchy" was the instruction from Prayuth that this newspaper carried on its front page last week. He was also quoted as saying that a high turnout was the key to safeguarding the monarchy and democracy. But what if the majority of Thai voters vote for the "wrong" party? Will there be another military coup? He also believes that all Thais know who to blame for the ongoing political crisis. "Everyone knows the culprits behind the lost lives and the injuries incurred [last April and May]," he was quoted as saying. Surely, he can't be serious.

• That of chief censor and promoter of the lese majeste law: Prayuth has ordered the Information and Communication Technology Ministry to block more websites and has told his soldiers to file lese majeste charges against red-shirt leaders for what they allegedly said during the April 10 rally. This was even before the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and police could make a move.

These are just some of the many hats that Prayuth has enjoyed wearing recently, though one can't help but wonder if they really fit an Army chief.

How weak does a prime minister or government have to be to allow the Army chief to do jobs that do not concern him? Will the public continue to accept these powers of the Army and its chief without asking what that has to do with Thai politics and society?

Thailand still in a long dark tunnel for a long while with Cambodian-​Thai border dispute being impacted accordingl​y

Without a settlement, no peace after elections

20/04/2011
Opinion
STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
Bangkok Post

Very soon the people of our country will be going to the polls bitterly divided. I think it is safe to predict that unless some form of compromise settlement is reached between the present ruling establishment and the Puea Thai Party either before, during, or soon after the elections, we can expect very strong political turbulence and street violence in the coming months - no matter who wins the elections.

Several thousand red shirt demonstrators gathered at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok on March 12 this year for a raucous but peaceful rally, where leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship lambasted the government.

The whole problem revolves around the issue of ''fairness''. It is very clear that both the constitution and ''the system'' are stacked against Puea Thai's chances of winning the election and Thaksin Shinawatra's opportunity to make a comeback. Even in the unlikely event of Puea Thai winning the election and being able to form a government, I'm pretty sure that either judicial or extra-judicial means would soon be exerted to remove that government.

[Thai] Parliament drops JBC minutes from agenda

19/04/2011
Bangkok Post

The joint sitting of parliament on Tuesday approved the withdrawal of three minutes of the 2008 and 2009 Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings as requested by the government.

The government made the request after the Council of State issued an opinion that the documents did not fall within Section 190 of the constitution.

The Council of State was asked last week by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to interpret the Constitution Court's ruling last month not to accept a request by lawmakers to rule on the need for parliamentary approval.

A group of 80 Democrat MPs led by Songkhla MP Sirichoke Sopha filed the request to the court through House Speaker Chai Chidchob, the ex officio parliament president, in February.

Suwit said he is quitting, Suthep says he is not quitting, is there anybody in charge in Bangkok?

Suwit not quitting as negotiator : Suthep

Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Nation

Natural and Environment Minister Suwit Kunkitti has not yet officially informed the premier he wants to resign as the chief negotiator for Unesco's listing of the Preah Vihear temple dispute, Deputy Suthep Thaugsuban said Tuesday.

Suwit led a Thai negotiation team to Brazil last year to protest against Unesco's listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site. The protest resulted in Unesco postponing the decision.

The Unesco World Heritage Committee is scheduled to hold its annual meeting from June 19 to 29 in France. Suwit is scheduled to lead the Thai team.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Puea Thai

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

[Thai] Military should not be allowed to interfere in [Thai] foreign policy

April 13, 2011
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

The latest statement from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in relation to posting Indonesian observers at the disputed area near Preah Vihear Temple clearly reflects that it is the [Thai] military, not the [Thai] government, that controls Thailand's foreign policy toward Cambodia.

On his weekly talk show, Abhisit said his government had taken the same stance as the military - to not allow Indonesian observers to be stationed on the 4.6 square kilometres area near the temple, which Thailand believes comes under its sovereignty.

Nobody should have a problem if the area in question really belongs to Thailand. If the area is truly under Thai sovereignty, then it has the right to decide who does or does not enter it. In reality though, this piece of land is being clamed by both Thailand and Cambodia, and it sits at the core of the conflict between both neighbours.

The Thai military just raised the issue as a tactic to defer the observation. If the observers are kept out of the disputed area, they will have no knowledge of what really happens. This would make the Indonesia-proposed peace plan meaningless and allow the military to scrap it.

Unrest stirs between [Thai] ministry and [Thai] army

13/04/2011
Thanida Tansubhapol
Bangkok Post

Signs of conflict between the Foreign Ministry and the Thai Army emerged when Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatara said last week that Indonesian observers would not be allowed to enter the disputed border area.

Gen Songkitti also said an agreement the Foreign Ministry had reached with Cambodia and Indonesia to send Indonesian observers to the disputed border area "has nothing to do with the military".

The deal was made on Feb 22 when Indonesia, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, called the Asean Foreign Ministers meeting in Jakarta to resolve the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. The meeting ended with the two countries accepting an Indonesian observer team be stationed along their common border.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya did not directly respond to Gen Songkitti's comment but said Thailand is an open society and everybody is free to express their opinions.

Is the US State Dept report on Thai Human Rights a bad joke?

Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton makes remarks during a bilateral meeting with German Foreign Affairs Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009, at the State Department in Washington. Pic: AP.

Apr 11, 2011
By Andrew Spooner
AsianCorrespondent.com

The USA have long cosied up to the murderous coup-loving generals and authoritarian governments of Thailand. This support stretches back almost 65years and includes love ins with the notorious fascist drug-dealing dictator Sarit Thanarat, the brutal crushing of left wing student protests in 1976 and the various other nefarious characters who have held sway in the Land of Smiles

But the US State Department’s recent 2010 Human Rights Report on Thailand could quite likely go down as probably the worst document ever produced on human rights anywhere, ever.

Right from the start the State Department gets it spectacularly wrong.