Flashermac Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Bangkok Post 1 Dec 2009 Opinion Hun Sen's latest emotional outburst against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajive and Foreign Minister Kasit Pironya was not unexpected. It's just part of the political game he's playing, and there is no need for either Mr Abhisit and Mr Kasit to respond. Just as it seemed last month’s unfortunate diplomatic row over deposed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was finally taking a back seat, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has seen fit to reopen the wound with comments that could provoke a new round of bickering. Mr Hun Sen’s latest diatribe against Prime Minister Abhisit and Foreign Minister Kasit in his speech at a provincial ceremony on Monday, although not at all surprising for a man of his character, was totally undiplomatic, hostile and unbecoming of a government leader. He was quoted as having said: “I am not the enemy of the Thai people… But the prime minister and foreign minister, these two people look down on Cambodia extremely… Cambodia will have no happiness as long as this group is in power in Thailand.†Mr Hun Sen’s sudden burst of anger at Prime Minister Abhisit and Foreign Minister Kasit stemmed from the Thai government’s threat to suspend all economic aid to Cambodia in retaliation for Phnom Penh’s appointment of Thaksin as its economic adviser and its refusal to allow the fugitive politician's extradition to Thailand to face imprisonment. “I told Abhisit that I and my people felt hurt when (we) heard you talk about halting aid and loans,†he reportedly told his Cambodian audience. But was the aid issue the only and real cause of the Cambodian leader’s latest outburst against his Thai counterpart? Or is he still playing the Thaksin card and trying to paint the Abhisit government in a negative light in the eyes of the international community and the Thai public? He has sent out a clear message that if Thai-Cambodian relations are to be normalised, then both Mr Abhisit and Mr Kasit must go. His latest unprovoked remarks leave no room for doubt about Mr Hun Sen’s deep contempt and dislike for both Mr Abhisit and Mr Kasit and that he wants them out of power in Thailand. But he has stopped short of saying publicly just whom he wants to see in the same seat of power. Was he too shy to name his “eternal friendâ€Â, Thaksin? Since Mr Hun Sen is free to say anything he wants in his home country, and the media in Cambodia is not free to criticise him, it would not serve Thailand’s best interests, or the good relations between the Thai and Cambodian peoples, for the Bangkok government to respond in kind to Mr Hun Sen’s irresponsible and childish diatribe. Mr Abhisit and Mr Kasit should remain calm and quiet. They need to heed the old Thai saying: "When a dog bites you, do not bite back." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustian Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Blah Blah Blah, my name is Hun Sen and I'm a total nutter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 soon to become a close friend of Chavez as well...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Not exactly unprovoked according to the Phnomn Penh Post. But then there's usually two sides to a news story. I must admit that jingoistic stories in the national media worry me, I can't see an outbreak of hostilities benefiting anyone, even Farang expats. PM orders Thai loans halted Tuesday, 01 December 2009 15:02 Cheang Sokha and James O’toole PRIME Minister Hun Sen lashed out at the Thai government on Monday, instructing Cambodian officials to review all bilateral agreements with the neighbouring country and ordering the cessation of all its loans and grants to Cambodia. Speaking at the opening of the Luong Preah Sdech Korn resort in Kampong Cham province, the prime minister accused the government of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of insulting Cambodia and warned his subordinates against applying for Thai aid. “Anyone who dares to ask for assistance from Thailand without my permission should resign. We may be poor, but we would rather shed our blood than let you look down on us,†Hun Sen said, apparently addressing Abhisit. Tensions between the two governments have been heightened since fugitive Thai former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited Cambodia last month in his capacity as newly appointed economics adviser to the Royal government, and the government denied a request by Thailand to extradite him. Hun Sen laid the blame for the dispute squarely on Thailand, however, calling Abhisit the most difficult of the 10 Thai premiers he has dealt with and reserving especially pointed words for Abhisit’s foreign minister, Kasit Piromya. “In diplomatic relations, Kasit is a gangster,†Hun Sen said, referencing the controversy that erupted earlier this year when a tape emerged of Kasit levying the same insult against Hun Sen. Kasit has said he was attempting to pay Hun Sen a compliment that was lost in translation. Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said Thailand was in the process of communicating with Cambodia about the countries’ bilateral agreements. The two nations withdrew their respective ambassadors last month in the row over Thaksin’s appointment and visit to Cambodia, and Thani said any attempt to normalise relations would have to be initiated by Cambodia. “From our perspective, the issue was the result of actions on the part of the Cambodian side, and so we hope that steps will be taken to rectify the situation,†he said. Thailand, Thani added, will not submit to negotiations with Cambodia while Thaksin, who was deposed in a 2006 coup and self-exiled to avoid a jail term for corruption, remains as an official adviser to the Cambodian government. On Friday, the Cambodian government announced that it had annulled a US$41 million loan from Thailand that was to have funded renovations of National Road 68, connecting Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey provinces with Thailand. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong said Friday that Cambodia is capable of funding this project on its own. Hun Sen said he had spoken with Abhisit on Friday about the road project, and that the Thai PM asked him to reconsider the annulment and told him Thailand would send a diplomatic note confirming the project’s ongoing status. Because Abhisit was travelling in Thailand, however, the note did not arrive over the weekend, and by Monday, Hun Sen said he had decided to stick with his original policy. “Please, all government institutions, review bilateral agreements with Thailand ... so that we will not owe any favours to Abhisit and their government,†Hun Sen said, adding that he had instructed the Ministry of Education not to send abroad 20 Cambodian students who had earned scholarships to study in Thailand because he planned to pay for their education in Cambodia instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallenda Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Some fun facts about Hun Sen: Hun Sen is married to Bun Rany. They have six children, 3 sons and 3 daughters: Manet, Mana, Manit, Mani, Mali, and Malis. The youngest, Malis was adopted. Hun Manet is a 1999 West Point Academy graduate and is pursuing his PhD in economics at the University of Cambridge in England. In October 2007, Hun Sen made a surprise announcement at a graduation ceremony in front of an audience of around 3,000 that his adopted daughter is a lesbian. He has taken legal steps to disown his daughter and to prevent her from receiving any inheritance. Nonetheless, he asked the audience to accept homosexuals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Sort of like Thakin naming his kids: Panthongtae, Pinthongta and Paetongtarn. Or George Foreman ... p.s Hun Sen is married to Bunny Rabbit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallenda Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Sort of like Thakin naming his kids: Panthongtae, Pinthongta and Paetongtarn. Or George Foreman ... p.s Hun Sen is married to Bunny Rabbit? I skipped the bit about how he lied about his age so it's actually different than reported, this due to his joining the Khmer Rouge before he was old enough supposedly... tho I can't believe they were too strict on letting kids in who were willing to kill for them. Anyway, it means he almost surely never finished high school. Funny, Wikipedia has NOTHING on his pre-political life. Anyone know? He's always struck me as something like the Mike Tyson of world leaders, minus the title belts, the way he does crazy shit and comes out with an even crazier-sounding rationalization later on to try to explain it. Or like Michael Jackson in that way. Also a guy who loves to hear himself blabber away and tries his best to provoke a reaction. Similar to Chavez in that way. a buffoon, basically. If it's true his son finished at Cambridge, that's at least one person in the family who knows what a freakin embarrassing idiot he is. I'd love to see the scene unfold at that dinner table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Hun Sen actually makes Thaksin look good in comparison. Maybe that is Thaksin's cunning plan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HonoluluJimmy Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Enough Rants! The Cambo folks are just helping their neightbors deal with a non elected government! I have the upmost respect for their forthrightness in putting pressure on the current government to respect the wishes of the people and have H.E. Pol LCol Dr. Taksin S. returned to power and take care of the poor in Thailand. First of all is the rediculus baht. The rich Bangkok Dem's are spending overseas like crazy while the poor farmers and craft people are starving because the rich Dem's manipulate the baht to their own good! The rich import merchants in Thailand are getting richer as they enjoy and economy set for the rich! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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