A Change of Guard

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Sunday 7 March 2010

Cambodia accused Asean Secretary General of interfering in its internal affairs


By Khmerization
Sources: DAP News and RFA

Cambodia has accused the Secretary General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) of interfering in its internal affairs when he criticised Cambodia's test-firing of 200 BM-21 rockets on 4th March, reports Deum Ampil and Radio Free Asia.

Dr. Surin Pitsuwan (pictured), the Secretary General of Asean who is also a Thai national, hinted that Cambodia's rocket tests could be a signal to the world that the Asean region is unstable at a time when there is simmering military tensions between Cambodia and Thailand.

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly reacted to Dr. Surin's comment and accused him of interfering in Cambodia's internal affairs. Mr. Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Cambodian Foreign Ministry, said Dr. Surin had never reacted to Thailand's military excercises along the Cambodian-Thai borders when it fired many rounds of rockets and artillery shells into Cambodian territories in late 2009. "In the past various countries had staged its military excercises, especially the joint Thai-American military excercise called "Golden Cobra", along the Khmer-Thai borders every year, but Cambodia has never reacted. So, the reactions of Dr. Surin this time is very strange. He should not comment about the internal affairs of a country that is a member of Asean", Mr. Koy said.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is highly natural that Dr Surin sided with his own government back home since:

1/ Dr Surin is a Thai national
2/ He comes from the Democrat Party of which current Thai PM Abhisit is part of

So the Cambodians should never expect anything from any ASEAN so-called help as Surin and his gang would always make sure ASEAN could not step in for some political or technical reason.

Let's be simply realistic here!

Anonymous said...

Cambodia did the right thing by reacting strongly to Dr. Surin's comments. I am also dismayed that he has remained very silent about the Thai invasion of Cambodian territories, about Thai military exercises which have fired many artillery rounds into Khmer territories. Surin is hardly a neutral Secretary General of Asean in relations to Khmer-Thai conflicts considering that he is a Thai. Ff Asean become unstable, it is not because of Cambodia's rocket tests, but it is because of the indecisive and incompetent leadership of Dr. Surin.