Phnom Penh (dpa) - Cambodia said Wednesday that it was concerned about Thailand's ability to host the upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in December.
Cambodia sympathised deeply with Thailand during its period of political turmoil and was suggesting a contingency plan for the scheduled summit of leaders of the 10-member bloc, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith, said in an official clarification issued by the Information Ministry.
"Until now, the government's desire is nothing but to see the Thai situation become normal in order to have peace and harmony in Thai society and the Asean community," the statement read.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Asean might consider a more stable host such as Singapore or Vietnam for December's summit if Thailand remains troubled.
The chair rotates annually in alphabetical order and hosting the summit is prestigious. Thailand took the chair from Singapore in July but has been wracked by demonstrations that saw Government House overrun and a new prime minister installed Wednesday.
Hun Sen's spokesperson Ieng Sophallet referred questions to Dr Chap Sotharith, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), who said Cambodia's security worries were legitimate and not without precedent.
"Cambodia is an Asean member so we have a right to speak our concerns," Hun Sen said, pointing out that the 2006 summit in the Philippines was postponed, officially due to a looming storm.
He said Thailand has "also previously expressed concerns about us" and that dialogue within ASEAN was healthy. CICP describes itself as an independent, neutral, non-partisan research institute.
No comments:
Post a Comment