November 13, 2009
(Posted by CAAI News Media)
Thaksin Shinawatra, the ousted Thai Prime Minister, accused his enemies of “false patriotism” yesterday as the fierce dispute over his visit to Cambodia led to a further deterioration in relations between the countries.
The neighbouring states expelled each other’s diplomats, and Thailand moved to cancel a road project involving loans to Cambodia of some 1.4 billion baht (£25 million).
The Thai stock market fell by 3 per cent, with fears of further political instability in the country.
The feud is likely to cast a shadow over the deliberations in Singapore this weekend of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum (Apec), of which Thailand and Cambodia are members.
Thaksin’s visit to Cambodia has electrified Thailand three years after the three-times elected leader was forced from power in a military coup. His appointment as an “economic adviser” by Hun Sen, the Cambodian Prime Minister, has enraged his enemies as deeply as it has galvanised his many supporters.
Dozens of members of the “Red Shirt” movement, as it is known, travelled across the border into Cambodia and wept and embraced Thaksin as he arrived at a hotel in the city of Siem Reap.
Earlier in the day, he gave a speech to 300 Cambodian Government officials in the capital, Phnom Penh, where he spoke of his hopes for partnership between the states. “A prosperous neighbour means better opportunities for us to grow together,” he said in a lecture entitled
“Cambodia and the World after the Financial Crisis”.
He said: “Of course, not all my compatriots see it that way right now. Their domestic political compulsions force them to false patriotism. Let’s pray that they too will one day appreciate this partnership for progress.”
Thaksin was taken on a tour of Angkor Wat, the magnificent temple complex built by a Cambodian king who once ruled over an empire that included parts of present-day Thailand. The name of nearby Siem Reap, means “Defeat of Thailand”.
Thaksin is scheduled to return to the Gulf city of Dubai — his home in exile — today, but there seems little prospect that the ill-feeling about his visit will lessen in the near future.
On Sunday, opponents of Thaksin, known as “Yellow Shirts”, plan to hold a rally in Bangkok to protest against his visit to Cambodia as well as against an interview he gave to The Times in which he spoke of the succession in the Thai monarchy after King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies.
In the interview, he spoke of his respect for King Bhumibol, but his contempt for the “palace circle” — courtiers he accuses of interfering in politics. He also spoke of his hopes for a “shining” reign by the King’s anticipated successor, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn: “The Crown Prince, because he will be new, may not be as popular as His Majesty the King,” Thaksin said. “However, he will have less problem because the palace circle will be smaller, because of being new in the reign.”
The interview has provoked a complaint, lodged by a group of Thai senators and generals, against Thaksin and myself, of lèse majesté — or insulting the monarchy.
Apart from increasing already feverish political tensions within Thailand, the dispute is an embarrassment to Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai Prime Minister, who will attend the Apec summit as the chairman of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean).
Mr Abhisit made efforts to soothe the conflict yesterday. “The Government does not want to create conflicts which could lead to any violence. It is not a conflict between the Thai and Cambodian people,” he said.
“We don’t want this problem to affect Asean, and we don’t want to see it spreading to other places . . . There is no reason for the conflict \ to cause any political change in the country. We will adhere to international practice. Shouting loudly does not mean being strong. Sometimes, quiet ways of dealing with a conflict are more effective.”
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