A Change of Guard

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Thursday 3 December 2009

Cambodia’s relations with Thailand

By Ambassador Julio A. Jeldres

Dear Khmerization:

I fear the debate on the current state of Cambodia’s relations with Thailand is reaching a point of being farcical and does not help to a proper assessment of the situation and a better understanding of developments.

May I, at the outset, point out that I do not consider your blog to be “ultranationalist” even though at times some of the comments in the blog are offensive to other people. Worse still, some of the comments are so lacking in knowledge of the facts of a particular event that they put people off from offering a better informed comment.

But coming back to the current difficulties regarding Cambodia’s relations with Thailand, it is necessary for rational and calm minds to assess the problem and find a solution to the problem. In this regard, it is necessary in my humble opinion and with respect, that a few historical facts be recalled, as too often they are ignored:

1) Thailand and Cambodia are neighbours placed next to each other by the Creator. Every possible effort should be made by the leaders of both countries to maintain friendly relations that benefit the peoples of Thailand and Cambodia.

2) It is regrettable that Thailand has never accepted the 1962 ICJ judgment that the temple of Preah Vihear is located under the sovereignty of Cambodia. This issue has been used by successive Thai governments to instill nationalism in the minds of new generations that often have not studied the ICJ judgment or are only impressed by temporary unrealistic nationalist causes.

3) During the horrible Democratic Kampuchea period, Thai villagers in areas near the Cambodian border were the victims of the excesses of Pol Pot and his murderous clique. Yet, the people of Thailand opened their door to many thousands of Cambodians that managed to escape Pol Pot’s inferno.

4) Following the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia, Thailand opened its doors widely to thousands of Cambodians who were escaping Vietnams’s occupation of their homeland. Her majesty Queen Sirikit personally toured some of the refugees camps at the Thai-Cambodia border to ensure that conditions for the Cambodian refugees were as good as possible.

5) At the same time, the nationalist Cambodian fronts fighting against Vietnam’s occupation of Cambodia, including the Khmer Republicans and Royalists as well as the remnants of the Khmer Rouge, were allowed to operate offices and safe houses both in Bangkok and provincial cities of Thailand to pursue their diplomatic and military activities against Hanoi’s troops.

6) It is true, that some Thai military leaders made fortunes out of the parlous situation of Cambodia during this time. I recall vividly the day, when as I worked at the FUNCINPEC office in Soi Suan Phlu in Bangkok, the wife of General Chaovalit arrived without an appointment, surrounded by a large entourage and police and tried to persuade Prince Norodom Ranariddh to agree to the sale of the Royal Cambodian Embassy in Tokyo, which was being sought by rapacious Japanese businessmen whom Mrs Chavalit represented (For those that do not know, the Royal Cambodian Embassy in Tokyo was purchased by His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk in the 1950s, and is located at a site near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, which is considered not only the best location in Tokyo but also the most prestigious and expensive in real state value). To his credit, Prince Ranariddh, as did also Samdech Son San and Mr Khieu Samphan, they all declined to sell the Embassy site and recommended to His Majesty King Sihanouk, then President of the CGDK, to inform the Japanese government accordingly.

7) In the search for peace for Cambodia during the late 1980s and early 19990s, Thailand played a leading role and hosted several international meetings both in Bangkok and Pattaya to try to find a settlement of the Cambodian conflict.

8) Following, the Paris Peace Agreements on Cambodia of October 1991, Thailand re-established its diplomatic and commercial presence in Cambodia. This was both good and sometimes bad for Cambodia, as some of the businesses just tried to make a quick profit without providing the local Cambodians appropriate training to be able to build on for their future job prospects. Other businesses were more serious and did indeed provide training either in Thailand or on the job.

9) One of the businessmen that took advantage of the new opportunities the opening of Cambodia presented was Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin a vain and overbearing man, immediately understood that power in Cambodia did not lay with the winner –FUNCINPEC- of the 1993 elections but rather with the looser –the CPP- and began courting the CPP leadership as well as some of the objectionable “business” in Cambodia that prospered under the CPP’s patronage. Again, here I need to recall how as Acting Director of the Khmer Institute of Democracy (KID) in Phnom Penh, I was constantly frustrated in my attempts to have a KID produced TV program broadcast by the then Thaksin owned and operated TV channel in Phnom Penh. His representatives in Phnom Penh would not broadcast any program that may appear to be critical of the government.

Regarding the current difficulties in the relationship between the two countries it is necessary, without wishing to blame any side, to point out the following:

1) The issue of the temple of Preah Vihear has been manipulated by the People Against Democracy (PAD) to create a misguided nationalism in Thailand in their efforts to discredit Thaksin Shinawatra. But, I fear, the PAD is not alone in using the Preah Vihear issue for its own domestic political purposes and their opponents the so-called “Red Shirts” are also instilled by manipulated nationalist aspirations to “recover” Preah Vihear for Thailand.

2) The ‘hero” of the Red Shirts is Thaksin Shinawatra who during his rule as Prime Minister of Thailand presided over a corrupt regime, indeed he has himself been tried for corruption charges, and also during which gross violations of human rights took place in Thailand.

3) The Cambodian government of Prime Minister Hun Sen never did anything to improve access to the temple of Preah Vihear from the Cambodian side of the mountain, prompting most foreign tourists to visit the temple from the well developed and safer Thai side of the mountain, thus creating employment opportunities on the Thai side of the mountain but not on the Cambodian side, which remains underdeveloped and difficult to access.

4) Hun Sen also manipulated the successful inscription of the temple of Preah Vihear into the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites to present it as one of the “great” accomplishments of his regime but, more importantly, to hide the failure of more pressing domestic issues such as corruption, lack of an independent judiciary, violations of human rights and land grabbing, prior to the July 2008 election.

5) Any study of the literature prepared by the current Cambodian government about the temple of Preah Vihear will show that the Hun Sen-led government has claimed complete responsibility for the 1962 ICJ decision totally obscuring the role played by King Father Norodom Sihanouk on this issue, thus not giving the opportunity to new generations of Cambodians to learn about this event in their country’s history.

6) The issue has become more and more complex because both sides have used their “personal” contacts or military personnel to try to reach a settlement over the marking of the land surrounding the temple which Thailand disputes. The Thaksin aligned forces have used their “contacts” such as retired General Chaovalit, who is both despised and tolerated in Cambodia to try to sort the impasse. Both countries have sidelined the Foreign Ministries of Thailand and Cambodia which should be the leading agencies dealing with the problem. In this Thaksin and Hun Sen are very similar, they are unable to distinguish between “personal affairs” and “State affairs”, just as both have tried to diminish the links existing between the Monarchy and the peoples of Thailand and Cambodia.

7) With all its faults, Thailand remains a democracy with a strong free press and independent judiciary. Cambodia, I am afraid, is not a democracy but rather a one-party autocracy. The current Thai Prime Minister is a decent man who is trying his best to fix the many problems confronting the fabric of Thai society.

8) Last but not least, by cancelling all aid projects with Thailand, Hun Sen is again manipulating the nationalistic feelings of Cambodians and trying to bully the Thai Prime Minister, just as he bullies anybody who does not agree with him or his policies in Cambodia. Worse, by appointing Thaksin to an advisory position in his government and openly taking sides with the Thai Thaksin-aligned opposition, Hun Sen is interfering in Thailand’s internal affairs and creating a precedent for future foreign interference in Cambodia’s internal affairs.

Kind regards,

Ambassador Julio A. Jeldres

Adjunct Research Fellow

The Asia Institute, Monash University

Melbourne, Australia

3 December 2009

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1. Please read Mr. MP's response to this article "Cambodia and Thailand not placed next to each other by the 'Creator'".

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great analysis. I agree with your analysis in every point.

Thailand, compared to Vietnam, was and is very sympathetic to the Cambodian problems, past and present. It is true that Thailand did provide sanctuary to Khmer resistance fighters and refugees, but I, like many Khmers, believe that Thai leaders made a huge fortune for this. Many Khmer resistance leaders claimed that Thai military siphoned off large chunks of aids, especially weapons and monetary aids, from China. Thai civilian and military leaders are also benefited hugely from the aid money to feed the Cambodian refugees. There were reports that tens of thousands of Khmer refugees had been transported to Preah Vihear in 1979 and forced at gun points to descend the mountain back into Cambodia. Between 4000-5000 had been killed and wounded by landmines. Thailand refused to allow Cambodian refugees to cross into Thailand for many months, it only agreed to let Khmer refugees cross the borders after strong international pressures.

You are very right that Thailand was one of the sponsors of the Cambodian peace process. For this we should appreciate Thailand's efforts.

The current occupation of Preah Vihear by Thai troops happened because of the PAD, led by the current Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. The Thai civilian government of Samak was initially against the occupation, but the hardline elements in the Thai military did not listen to the Samak civilian government. It is true that Hun Sen was in a hurry to register Preah Vihear in time for the 2008 election in July of that year so he can use it in his election campaign.

The appointment of Thaksin has only one aim and that is to play one group of Thais against the other. But it is a very dangerous game for Cambodia. Hun Sen's order for the cancellations of all agreements, aids and loans, are short-sighted and inconsiderate of Cambodia's national interests. Hun Sen's outburst against Kasit and Abhisit is also very childish. And Hun Sen's strong and tough stance against the present Thai government will not help the cause of the Preah Vihear issue. On the contrary, Hun Sen has jeopardized the Preah Vihear negotiations in the future.

A great analysis and very detailed one. I agree in every point.

Timothychhim.blogspot.com said...

Good assessment Mr. Ambassador,
Cambodian politicians ought not to take side between Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand and Vietnam will do whatever they can to serve their national interests. Both countries have benefited tremendously from Cambodian wars in the past decades. They have used Cambodians’ hands to fight each other, therefore Cambodians must find the way to stop fighting among all of us—all sides.

It will be a disaster for Cambodians to fight among ourselves and against the Thais and the Vietnamese at the same time.

Anonymous said...

One who can see the direction of the wind is the best!

Anonymous said...

I disagree. We can not sit back and take as a defence We need to be in the offence and initiate. We Khmer have great empire. We deserve respect. We are fed up of being bullying and looked down and lands loading to these theives

My Community Networking said...

Dear Ambassador Julio A. Jeldres
Adjunct Research Fellow
The Asia Institute, Monash University
Melbourne, Australia

I do agree with most points you have mentioned in your letter. However, I find you have omitted the sufferings of Khmer refugees who had been mistrated in the hand of Thailand, particular, the 1st batch of Khmer refugees arrived at Nang Chan, then the depaortation of Khmer Refugees from all camps in Thailand to the Dang Rek mountain. Thailand would never want to admit how many Khmer refugees were shot and killed there. By saying this, understand had the right (at the time) to control its border but this is humanly cruel indeed

My Community Networking said...

Dear Ambassador Julio A. Jeldres
Adjunct Research Fellow
The Asia Institute, Monash University
Melbourne, Australia

I do agree with most points you have mentioned in your letter. However, I find you have omitted the sufferings of Khmer refugees who had been mistrated in the hand of Thailand, particular, the 1st batch of Khmer refugees arrived at Nang Chan, then the depaortation of Khmer Refugees from all camps in Thailand to the Dang Rek mountain. Thailand would never want to admit how many Khmer refugees were shot and killed there. By saying this, understand had the right (at the time) to control its border but this is humanly cruel indeed

Anonymous said...

In addition to "My Community Network", your excellency also forgot to mention about the suffering of Cambodian refugees, whose allow to stay in the camp such as Khoa I Dang Refugee Camp. Thailand would never acknowlge how many Cambodian refuggees they have shot and killed in the Camp. They have treat Cambodian refugee inhumanly and cruelty the same as in the Pol Pot's Regime - I could never delete the image that the Thai soldiers using a very hot iron on a person's chest, whose was caught entering the Camp ilegally... What kind of human was that

Anonymous said...

I do agree with all the point raised by Ambassador Jeldres, but I also agree with the comments above about the Thai mistreatments of Khmer refugees. I was a refugee living in the Thai camp who was kicked and punched by Thai soldiers/guards for no reason. I saw many people were kicked and shot by Thai soldiers in the camp. One guy who went out of the camp was caught, he was kicked, punched by the Thai chief guard until he become unconscious and then the Thai chief stepped on the hand of the unconscious man then drew his pistol then shot through the man's palm. A relief worker, who was a European lady, intervened and called the camp's ambulance and took him to a clinic near by. At other times, many Cambodian refugees who went to search for food outside of the camp were killed.

Talking about refugees at the borders, many Khmer refugees were killed by Thai troops went they crossed the borders in 1979. Many times I was shot at by Thai soldiers, but lucky I escaped injuries.

Thousands of Khmer refugees were transported in buses to Preah Vihear and were dumped there and were forced to walk down the Dangrek Mountains through minefileds. Thousands had died because they stepped on landmines. This is what the Thai do to innocent Khmer refugees in revenge against what the Khmer Rouge did to their villagers near Preah Vihear in 1977.

However, Amassador Jeldres had raised very good points about reconciling between Khmers and Thais. Without the invasion of Preah Vihear on 15th July 2008, I think Cambodians and Thai people would never have any problems with each other because Khmers would never be the perpetrators of crimes against Thai people, we are always the victims of the Thai cruelty.

Anonymous said...

If Thailand didn't open doors to us while we were escaping the Vietnamese invasion , none of us will be here by now . Talking about cruelty , not only Thai soldiers treated refugees badly ,even Khmer resistants along the border treated their own people like enemies too. So, in this case ,I blame bad people for their actions whoever they are .

Anonymous said...

Politically I agree with all points that was raise by the Ambassador here, both Thailand and Vietnam benefited from the war in Cambodia.... However.. How about China???? From the very start they benefited from the Khmer Rouge... they exchanged guns for rice and gold and diamonds and so on from Cambodia. China only stopped backing the Khmer Rouge when they started dealing with western investors for their own economy purpose.

Another point for Cambodia to have some peace now is that the cold war of communist and the free world was over sometime ago.

For Thailand they missed treated the Khmer Refugees period, because it seemed like a good opportunity for them....