Mr. Hun Sen gave Thai PM an ultimatum

Abhisit vs. Hun Sen.

By Khmerization

Prime Minister Hun Sen revealed that he gave ultimatum to Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva to send a Thai ambassador back to Phnom Penh in two days or Cambodia will cancel a 1.4 billion Thai Baht ($41 million) loans agreement and go ahead alone with the inauguration of a highway constructions from the Khmer-Thai, reports Kampuchea Thmey.

Mr. Hun Sen made this speech on 4th December during an inauguration of the construction works of Highway 68 from the Thai border to Siem Reap town. He revealed that on 2nd December, Mr. Abhisit had sent one letter to him and telephoned him twice requesting him to postpone the construction of the highway and to reverse the loan cancellation Mr. Hun Sen had earlier cancelled. However, Mr. Hun Sen said the loan cancellation can be reversed and the inauguration of the highway constructions can be postponed only if Thailand re-instates its ambassador to Phnom Penh by 5pm of the 4th of December.

Mr. Hun Sen had earlier pre-emptively cancelled a $41 million loan from Thailand in retaliation against Mr. Abhisit's threat of sanctions against Cambodia at the heights of the diplomatic tensions between the two countries in October.

As the inauguration of the highway went ahead on 4th December, it is assumed that Mr. Abhisit did not budge to Mr. Hun Sen's ultimatum. However, on 3rd of December, one day before the inauguration, Mr. Abhisit has reportedly travelled to Chanthaburi province to meet Cambodian officials. It has been reported that Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya had also sought the meeting with Mr. Hun Sen to reconcile the latest diplomatic row between the two countries. Mr. Kasit has reportedly asked to meet with Mr. Hun Sen during the upcoming gathering in Laos. He has reportedly said that Thailand has softened its position in order to end the diplomatic spat with Cambodia.

On a related development, Mr. Prawit Wongsuwan, the Thai Defence Minister, said if the Bangkok government cannot resolve the diplomatic row with Cambodia, it should leave the issue to the Thai Army to deal with Cambodia. Mr. Prawit had told Mr. Abhisit that the Khmer-Thai diplomatic tensions had not eased, but had heightened.