By Khmerization
Prime Minister Hun Sen (pictured) has strongly reacted to the comments made by Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya that Thailand will not upgrade the diplomatic relations between the two countries to an ambassadorial level unless Cambodia rescinds the appointment of fugitive ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic advisor, reports Radio Free Asia.
Mr. Hun Sen hit back, saying that Cambodia will never send its ambassador back to Thailand, unless Thailand sent its ambassador to Cambodia first.
Thailand and Cambodia withdrew their ambassadors in November 2009 when Cambodia appointed figitive ex-Thai PM Thaksin as its economic advisor against the will of the Thai government.
In a speech during a graduation ceremony on 12th January, Mr. Hun Sen said Cambodia does not need Thai aid because in the past Thailand has never provided aid to Cambodia.
Mr. Hun Sen also blasted at claims made by Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya that lands surrounding Preah Vihear temple and the nearby Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak Pagoda belong to Thailand. "The day before yesterday, Your Excellency (Kasit) said that Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda was built inside Thai territory and that this is an act of invasion. I wish to say back to you that: this is an intolerable insult and please don't move deep in any further because the bad consequence that you will receive is your problems. And please remember clearly: when there are internal tensions happening in Bangkok, you are tranferring (diverting) all those problems to the border issues. You must remember this!", Hun Sen said.
Mr. Hun Sen warned Thailand not to close the borders between the two countries because Cambodia will ban all imports of Thai goods into Cambodia.
Mr. Sok Sam-Oeun, president of Cambodian Legal Defenders and Mr. Ou Virak, director of Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, applauded Mr. Hun Sen's comments but stressed that Cambodia and Thailand must find a common ground to normalise the relations for the betterment of the two countries.
Mr. Ou Virak said Mr. Hun Sen must think about the Khmer-Vietnamese borders to the east as well, not just the Khmer-Thai borders to the west. "The debates about the Khmer-Vietnamese borders have been restricted by the government, but on the Khmer-Thai conflict we see that not only that the Cambodian government pays attentive attention, but incites anger against Thailand, complicit in the change of the word from "Thai" to "Siem" to describe the Thai people, using television networks and radio networks to attack Thailand etc. This is the trend that we see that plays in the worsening of the dispute or the continuation of the dispute with Thailand. But on the eastern (Vietnam) side, we have never seen the Cambodian government supports (border protection against Vietnam's encroachments)", Ou Virak said.
Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in border disputes since Thailand sent in troops to occupy Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda and the Preah Vihear surrounding areas on 15th July 2008.
Prime Minister Hun Sen (pictured) has strongly reacted to the comments made by Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya that Thailand will not upgrade the diplomatic relations between the two countries to an ambassadorial level unless Cambodia rescinds the appointment of fugitive ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic advisor, reports Radio Free Asia.
Mr. Hun Sen hit back, saying that Cambodia will never send its ambassador back to Thailand, unless Thailand sent its ambassador to Cambodia first.
Thailand and Cambodia withdrew their ambassadors in November 2009 when Cambodia appointed figitive ex-Thai PM Thaksin as its economic advisor against the will of the Thai government.
In a speech during a graduation ceremony on 12th January, Mr. Hun Sen said Cambodia does not need Thai aid because in the past Thailand has never provided aid to Cambodia.
Mr. Hun Sen also blasted at claims made by Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya that lands surrounding Preah Vihear temple and the nearby Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak Pagoda belong to Thailand. "The day before yesterday, Your Excellency (Kasit) said that Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda was built inside Thai territory and that this is an act of invasion. I wish to say back to you that: this is an intolerable insult and please don't move deep in any further because the bad consequence that you will receive is your problems. And please remember clearly: when there are internal tensions happening in Bangkok, you are tranferring (diverting) all those problems to the border issues. You must remember this!", Hun Sen said.
Mr. Hun Sen warned Thailand not to close the borders between the two countries because Cambodia will ban all imports of Thai goods into Cambodia.
Mr. Sok Sam-Oeun, president of Cambodian Legal Defenders and Mr. Ou Virak, director of Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, applauded Mr. Hun Sen's comments but stressed that Cambodia and Thailand must find a common ground to normalise the relations for the betterment of the two countries.
Mr. Ou Virak said Mr. Hun Sen must think about the Khmer-Vietnamese borders to the east as well, not just the Khmer-Thai borders to the west. "The debates about the Khmer-Vietnamese borders have been restricted by the government, but on the Khmer-Thai conflict we see that not only that the Cambodian government pays attentive attention, but incites anger against Thailand, complicit in the change of the word from "Thai" to "Siem" to describe the Thai people, using television networks and radio networks to attack Thailand etc. This is the trend that we see that plays in the worsening of the dispute or the continuation of the dispute with Thailand. But on the eastern (Vietnam) side, we have never seen the Cambodian government supports (border protection against Vietnam's encroachments)", Ou Virak said.
Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in border disputes since Thailand sent in troops to occupy Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda and the Preah Vihear surrounding areas on 15th July 2008.
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