BANGKOK, March 5 (Bernama) -- Asean fears that Cambodia may send a wrong signal to the world when that country conducted multiple rocket test yesterday in the wake of its cold relations with Thailand.
Asean Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan (pictured) said today that Cambodia might have signaled as though the region was unstable.
"We are very concerned with such development," he told Bernama after attending the International Conference on Changing Global Landscape and its Implications on Regional Architecture, at the Bangkok Convention Centre here.
Asked whether Asean considered the test as an act of provocation by Cambodia, he said: "I have no details. I have to look into the details first."
Cambodia fired about 200 rounds from the Soviet-made BM21 rocket launcher in the mountains of remote Kampong Chhnang province, about 80km north of Phnom Penh and hit target within a range of 20km to 40km.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was reported as saying that the exercise was to prepare for the defence of his country and not about showing any military capabilities even though Cambodia and Thailand were at loggerheads.
Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that Thailand had no problem with the exercise as it was a normal practice for a country to conduct military exercises.
Thailand and Cambodia have long outstanding border claims over an area surrounding an ancient Hindu temple, known as Preah Viher in Cambodia and as Phra Viharn in Thailand, which was named a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
The world court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia but it did not touch on the disputed surrounding area.
Thai-Cambodian relations took a nose dive when Cambodia named fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic advisor late last year and refused to extradite him to Thailand despite requests.
Thaksin was reported to be living in self-exile in Dubai to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption.
-- BERNAMA
Asean Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan (pictured) said today that Cambodia might have signaled as though the region was unstable.
"We are very concerned with such development," he told Bernama after attending the International Conference on Changing Global Landscape and its Implications on Regional Architecture, at the Bangkok Convention Centre here.
Asked whether Asean considered the test as an act of provocation by Cambodia, he said: "I have no details. I have to look into the details first."
Cambodia fired about 200 rounds from the Soviet-made BM21 rocket launcher in the mountains of remote Kampong Chhnang province, about 80km north of Phnom Penh and hit target within a range of 20km to 40km.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was reported as saying that the exercise was to prepare for the defence of his country and not about showing any military capabilities even though Cambodia and Thailand were at loggerheads.
Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that Thailand had no problem with the exercise as it was a normal practice for a country to conduct military exercises.
Thailand and Cambodia have long outstanding border claims over an area surrounding an ancient Hindu temple, known as Preah Viher in Cambodia and as Phra Viharn in Thailand, which was named a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
The world court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia but it did not touch on the disputed surrounding area.
Thai-Cambodian relations took a nose dive when Cambodia named fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic advisor late last year and refused to extradite him to Thailand despite requests.
Thaksin was reported to be living in self-exile in Dubai to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption.
-- BERNAMA
4 comments:
Surin is a Thai national, so is hardly a neutral Secretary General of Asean in relations to Khmer-Thai conflicts. When Thailand sent troops to invade Cambodian territories at Preah Vihear on 15th July 2008, he didn't utter a word of condemnation and when Cambodia brought the matter before Asean Summit in Singapore a week later, he didn't take any action by trying to ignore Cambodia's complaints. At the heights of tensions when Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as advisor in November 2009, Thailand staged a very large military drill near Preah Vihear temple by firing many rockets into Cambodian territories but said it was a mistake, Surin did not utter a word of condemnation. Now Cambodia just tested some missiles and he makes a big noise already. How can Cambodia respect a Secretary General who is a Thai and always take side with Thailand in relations to Khmer-Thai conflicts?
11:01PM, I agreed with you. I did remember reading an article pertaining to Thailand conducting military exercise by intentionally fired some artillery rounds into Cambodia and call it an accident. And when Cambodia conducted her own military exercise by test firing some BM-21 rockets inside her own terrritory, Thailand cried foul. Since Surin Pitsuwan is a Thai, it's quite obvious that the Secretary General of ASEAN is intervening to defend his own interest for Thailand, not for the interest of ASEAN.
I think he is very biased as he is a Thai national. He should keep his mouth shut!
last time it was khmer misunderstanding and now we are sending the wrong signal. i wonder if i fuck his mom then what kind do the thai call us then. they kill khmer loggers, launch rocket to our provinces,encroaching to our preh vihear,adding more military along our borders,etc...everything we do seem to look evil but when they do it. its protocal. what a bunch of hypbercratic bastards the thai are.
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