Coss Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Link Conduct most unbecoming Published: 12/11/2009 at 12:00 AM Newspaper section: News Cambodia is pushing relations with Thailand to the brink by formally refusing to extradite fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been found guilty by a Thai court on a conflict of interest charge and sentenced in absentia to two years in jail. It is quite clear Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen values his friendship with Thaksin more than his country's relations with Thailand. From his latest comments to members of the press at Pochentong Airport on Sunday, it is obvious that Hun Sen is determined to play the Thaksin card to the fullest and to intensify his ascerbic criticism of Thailand. It would be no exaggeration to conclude that the Khmer leader holds our country in utter contempt. Hun Sen did not mince words in showing his disapproval of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai legal system and the Thai military. [color:brown]Regarding Mr Abhisit, the Cambodian prime minister basically called the Thai PM a kid and a thief. He accused Mr Abhisit of "stealing things" from other people - apparently referring to the defection of Newin Chidchob and his followers from the pro-Thaksin People Power Party to form the coalition government with the Democrat Party.[/color] Apart from offering one-sided views regarding the state of politics in Thailand, [color:brown]Hun Sen went so far as to dare Mr Abhisit to dissolve the House and call a fresh election. The open and defiant manner in which Hun Sen said this raises a serious question: since when has Thai parliamentary affairs been part of the Cambodian leader's business?[/color] The worst part of his soliloquy, however, was when [color:brown]Hun Sen offered the opinion that the Thai justice system was not worthy of respect.[/color] As a leader of government, Hun Sen must know such an utterance about another country is most unbecoming. So, what objective could he have in mind? As a shrewd politician and the longest-serving prime minister in this region, Hun Sen must have carefully calculated the positive and negative consequences of this game of brinkmanship he is playing with Thailand. Certainly there is no denying the Cambodian leader is playing a dangerous game. Relations between the two countries are now at an all-time low, since the 2003 burning of the Thai embassy and other Thai properties in Phnom Penh by angry Khmer crowds. Indeed, further provocation may worsen the situation and drag the two countries into a violent confrontation. Hun Sen may think relations can be restored once there is a regime change in Thailand, preferably one that would be more accommodating towards Cambodia. If his brinkmanship game is solely meant for the benefit of Cambodia despite the risks involved, then Hun Sen might even be praised for putting the national interest first. However, the strongman should remember that people's feelings are harder "to fix" than formal relations. It is this degradation of feelings on the ground that is the most dangerous of all. [color:brown]Considering what Hun Sen was spouting, it is shocking that Thaksin, a former prime minister, can now stand by his side and receive the insult to his own country and people without any sense of shame or guilt. But the fugitive has chosen to play along with Hun Sen like comrades-in-arms who share common interests.[/color] Bearing in mind Hun Sen's game of goading, Thailand must exercise every caution not to be led into a trap. Any response to Phnom Penh's rejection of Bangkok's extradition request must be carefully considered. And we must prepare against Thaksin using Cambodia as a springboard to further destabilise his own motherland. ____________________ Oooh..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 And from the Nation... Would Koh Kong become a virtual government in exile or will it become "Thaksin's Singapore"? Thai intelligence is paying serious attention to all such rumours. Though a source close to Thaksin denies that the fugitive has any plans concerning Koh Kong, the warm hospitality displayed by his Cambodian hosts and their hostility toward the Thai government suggests that the wild frontier would always be kept open for him. Apart from having Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen as his best friend, Thaksin has another good connection in Koh Kong - Pat Supapa, who is chairman of the Koh Kong International Resort Club and one of the richest business people in Cambodia having won several lucrative state concessions. He was one of the high-profile citizens who welcomed Thaksin. It is these solid political and business friendships that have lent new weight to rumours that Thaksin was in Koh Kong while hardline red-shirted protesters were running riot in Bangkok in April. Thaksin's government played a large role in the construction of a road between Koh Kong and Phnom Penh, and while in power he oversaw a booming border trade, with Thai goods reaching the Koh Kong port - outstripping land transport in great volumes. If Thaksin really wants to build a presence in Koh Kong, he could be provocatively close to Thailand. With enough cash, a 2,000-square metre plot - earmarked to be an industrial estate that only about two kilometres from an immigration checkpoint - can be turned into anything with the blink of an eye. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/read.php?newsid=30116522&keyword=koh+kong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Isn't that where Duangchalerm was supposed to be hiding after he murdered the policeman? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Bangkok Post 13 Nov 2009 PR trickery across border Opinion by Ploenpote Atthakor When the Thai government decided to recall its ambassador to Cambodia after Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed Thaksin Shinawatra as his economic adviser, many people including my colleagues here at the Bangkok Post, asked if the Thai government had overreacted in a move which eventually resulted in an intense diplomatic spat. When it comes to overreaction, however, my question is directed towards the media, all kinds of them, which allocate voluminous space and time to this news item. [color:red]To me, the whole Hun Sen-Thaksin affair is just another PR trick by the former prime minister who is ready to do anything only to be at the centre of media attention, no matter what the consequences may be.[/color] After Songkran, when the red-shirt protesters forced the cancellation of the Asean meeting, Thaksin's struggle to draw media attention did not come out well. With his messages repeated, words from him became devoid of any sense of newsworthiness, and he knew it. That is why he had to come up with new tactics. With cooperation from Hun Sen and Gen Chavalit "Big Jiew" Yongchaiyudh, the businessman-cum-politician-cum-fugitive found a way into the media spotlight again. Like it or not, Thaksin seems born for this tricky job. His carefully planned travel to Phnom Penh this week grabbed the media's attention. Well, he had no fear of being extradited. [color:red]Honestly, it is an unrealistic wish for Thailand in the first place to have Cambodia extradite this fugitive politician. After all, one should not forget that corruption is somehow not a punishable crime in that country. If we look back, no Cambodian politicians have ever been brought to justice for corruption since the country reopened to the world after the UN-brokered elections in 1993.[/color] Again, the media is made to believe that it cannot afford to miss a word from the ex-PM. While I was writing this column, a large group of newshounds was gathering in Phnom Penh in the hope that Thaksin, who was to deliver a speech before some 300 Cambodian businessmen, would give them a chance for an interview. More space for the ex-PM's airy rhetoric? At this very moment, it is obvious that both Hun Sen and Thaksin have maximised immediate political gains. [color:red]Thaksin has enjoyed extensive media coverage while Hun Sen, playing the Thaksin card, can take a break from questions he has been facing at home about border issues with Vietnam.[/color] [color:red]The arrival of Thaksin also deflects the attention of Cambodians from the ongoing trial of former Khmer Rouge cadres.[/color] After all, Hun Sen knows full well that without a strong political opponent, his PM's seat is more secure compared to the shaky one Mr Abhisit is sitting on. What the Cambodian PM is not prepared for, perhaps, is the rising anti-Cambodia sentiment among the Thai general public, fuelled by the Thai media. Since the first day that Hun Sen showed his support for the ex-PM, a number of journalists did not hesitate to stir up a nationalist sentiment. Many jumped up to scratch open old scars from Thai-Cambodian history, linking Hun Sen's act with that of Cambodian King Lovek, known in Thai as Phraya Lavaek, who sought to liberate his kingdom from Siam during the reign of King Naresuan. This Cambodian king and his "betrayal" is cited every time Thai-Cambodian relations turn sour. Others call for the government to close the borders as a way to "punish" Cambodia even though such a move would hurt people from both sides economically. The thing is, such a drastic move can happen. When big politicians play their games, it is always the small people who suffer first. Besides, this is not the first time the two countries' relations have been strained. Of course, what the Cambodian PM is doing is not acceptable by any standards and Thailand had no choice but to respond. But when the dust has settled both Cambodia and Thailand will have to come to their senses. It is not practical for them to hate each other for a long time - as happened in the past. With so much at stake, the next move will be a difficult one for leaders of the two countries to maintian their gains. Under the circumstances the media must be prepared to play a constructive role and fulfil its task with maturity, not to fall into Thaksin's PR trap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Ploenpote Atthakor is right about the media. They just can't leave it alone. There's something very childish about the games Thaksin and Hun Sen are playing...but I guess the stakes are high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Isn't that where Duangchalerm was supposed to be hiding after he murdered the policeman? Well that's a direct connection between the two! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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