Hun Sen arrived in Hua Hin in Thailand on 23rd October 2009 and caused a stir among thai leaders when he announced that he will appoint Thaksin as his advisor.BANGKOK (AFP)— Cambodian leader Hun Sen will attend an April summit in Thailand, officials said Thursday, his first visit since the neighbours downgraded ties in a row over former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thailand and Cambodia, which have a history of rocky relations, recalled their ambassadors in November after Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as an economic adviser and then refused Thai requests to extradite him.
Thaksin is living abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption in his home country, but continues to rally his red-shirted supporters who have mounted mass rallies in Bangkok this month.
Thai officials said Hun Sen had nevertheless agreed to attend the first Mekong River summit, involving Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, in the resort town of Hua Hin south of Bangkok on April 5.
"We received a letter of confirmation that Prime Minister Hun Sen accepted an invitation to attend the Mekong River Commission summit," a official at the Water Resources Department told AFP.
Cambodian cabinet spokesman Phay Siphan confirmed the trip, but said it would focus purely on the Mekong issue and said there were "no plans at all" for a bilateral meeting between the Cambodian and Thai leaders.
"He's (Hun Sen) not prejudiced against Thailand at all. He's not interfering at all in Thailand's internal political problems," he told AFP.
The Thai official said the leaders of all four countries would attend the summit, which will address a severe drought that has lowered levels on the important waterway.
Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in nationalist tensions and a troop standoff at their disputed border since July 2008, when clashes erupted near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Hun Sen openly criticised his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, during one of Thaksin's recent visits to Cambodia, and made a high-profile visit to the temple, dressed in full combat uniform.
Thailand and Cambodia, which have a history of rocky relations, recalled their ambassadors in November after Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as an economic adviser and then refused Thai requests to extradite him.
Thaksin is living abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption in his home country, but continues to rally his red-shirted supporters who have mounted mass rallies in Bangkok this month.
Thai officials said Hun Sen had nevertheless agreed to attend the first Mekong River summit, involving Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, in the resort town of Hua Hin south of Bangkok on April 5.
"We received a letter of confirmation that Prime Minister Hun Sen accepted an invitation to attend the Mekong River Commission summit," a official at the Water Resources Department told AFP.
Cambodian cabinet spokesman Phay Siphan confirmed the trip, but said it would focus purely on the Mekong issue and said there were "no plans at all" for a bilateral meeting between the Cambodian and Thai leaders.
"He's (Hun Sen) not prejudiced against Thailand at all. He's not interfering at all in Thailand's internal political problems," he told AFP.
The Thai official said the leaders of all four countries would attend the summit, which will address a severe drought that has lowered levels on the important waterway.
Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in nationalist tensions and a troop standoff at their disputed border since July 2008, when clashes erupted near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Hun Sen openly criticised his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, during one of Thaksin's recent visits to Cambodia, and made a high-profile visit to the temple, dressed in full combat uniform.
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