Bangkok Post
SINGAPORE : Indonesia has stepped in to help quash the diplomatic debacle between Thailand and Cambodia.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Indonesia - as a senior Asean member - wanted to listen to Thailand's view over the incidents with Phnom Penh.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met for talks yesterday morning on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum.
After talking with Mr Abhisit, Mr Yudhoyono held talks for half an hour with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in the afternoon.
A senior official who attended the Apec meeting said Mr Abhisit yesterday met Hun Sen in a conference and, as the two leaders shook hands, Hun Sen asked Mr Abhisit: "Are you tired?" Mr Abhisit smiled in response.
Mr Abhisit explained to Mr Yudhoyono that the nation's relationship with Cambodia had soured over the past 10 months. He said a visit to Cambodia by Puea Thai Party chairman Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh on Oct 21 ahead of the Asean summit meeting in Hua Hin had worsened matters.
He said Hun Sen appeared to not accept the Thai judicial process against ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and had criticised Thai society.
He was reported as saying it was necessary for Thailand to retaliate and react [against Cambodia] but he insisted Thailand had no intention to make the relationship deteriorate. Bangkok would exercise restraint and not allow the problem to affect its people or trade at the border, Mr Abhisit was quoted as saying.
"I would like Cambodia to help review what it has done," Mr Abhisit told President Yudhoyono.
Mr Abhisit also reaffirmed to the Indonesian president that he has no problem with the relationship between Hun Sen and Thaksin. But if the personal relationship is above the relationship between the two countries, it surely becomes a problem, he told his Indonesian counterpart. "We appreciate Indonesia's concern and its proposal to help resolve the problem as Indonesia is the founding father of Asean and is one of the most senior [nations] in Asean," Mr Kasit said.
However, he accepted the spat between Thailand and Cambodia would not be easy to solve.
"We should not forget the cause of the problem," Mr Kasit said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa had previously been assigned to talk to Mr Kasit on the issue.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian president yesterday met Hun Sen in the afternoon for half an hour to listen to the Cambodian side of the argument. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong said after the meeting that it "went very well".
Mr Natalegawa said: "It was factual, lots of information being exchanged, being shared. We're just listening to various news of various parties to try to understand where everything stands before we proceed to take further steps."
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said he had asked the Foreign Ministry to help Siwarak Chotphong, a Thai engineer with Cambodia Air Traffic Services, who was arrested in Phnom Penh on spying charges. Mr Siwarak was accused of giving Thaksin's flight schedule to the Thai embassy's first secretary, Kamrob Palawatwichai, who was expelled by Cambodia on Thursday.
SINGAPORE : Indonesia has stepped in to help quash the diplomatic debacle between Thailand and Cambodia.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Indonesia - as a senior Asean member - wanted to listen to Thailand's view over the incidents with Phnom Penh.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met for talks yesterday morning on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum.
After talking with Mr Abhisit, Mr Yudhoyono held talks for half an hour with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in the afternoon.
A senior official who attended the Apec meeting said Mr Abhisit yesterday met Hun Sen in a conference and, as the two leaders shook hands, Hun Sen asked Mr Abhisit: "Are you tired?" Mr Abhisit smiled in response.
Mr Abhisit explained to Mr Yudhoyono that the nation's relationship with Cambodia had soured over the past 10 months. He said a visit to Cambodia by Puea Thai Party chairman Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh on Oct 21 ahead of the Asean summit meeting in Hua Hin had worsened matters.
He said Hun Sen appeared to not accept the Thai judicial process against ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and had criticised Thai society.
He was reported as saying it was necessary for Thailand to retaliate and react [against Cambodia] but he insisted Thailand had no intention to make the relationship deteriorate. Bangkok would exercise restraint and not allow the problem to affect its people or trade at the border, Mr Abhisit was quoted as saying.
"I would like Cambodia to help review what it has done," Mr Abhisit told President Yudhoyono.
Mr Abhisit also reaffirmed to the Indonesian president that he has no problem with the relationship between Hun Sen and Thaksin. But if the personal relationship is above the relationship between the two countries, it surely becomes a problem, he told his Indonesian counterpart. "We appreciate Indonesia's concern and its proposal to help resolve the problem as Indonesia is the founding father of Asean and is one of the most senior [nations] in Asean," Mr Kasit said.
However, he accepted the spat between Thailand and Cambodia would not be easy to solve.
"We should not forget the cause of the problem," Mr Kasit said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa had previously been assigned to talk to Mr Kasit on the issue.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian president yesterday met Hun Sen in the afternoon for half an hour to listen to the Cambodian side of the argument. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong said after the meeting that it "went very well".
Mr Natalegawa said: "It was factual, lots of information being exchanged, being shared. We're just listening to various news of various parties to try to understand where everything stands before we proceed to take further steps."
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said he had asked the Foreign Ministry to help Siwarak Chotphong, a Thai engineer with Cambodia Air Traffic Services, who was arrested in Phnom Penh on spying charges. Mr Siwarak was accused of giving Thaksin's flight schedule to the Thai embassy's first secretary, Kamrob Palawatwichai, who was expelled by Cambodia on Thursday.
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