A Change of Guard

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Monday 16 August 2010

Thailand - DPM Suthep affirms Thai-Cambodia issue must not affect people who live near borders


Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban (pictured) gave an interview about Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen filing a document to the United Nations (UN) to object and claim that Thai government threatened to use military force against Cambodia disputed areas. The Deputy Prime Minister said it is the duty of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify Thailand’s point of view on the topic, and explain what the government has been doing. Thailand is holding fast to the principle to live with neighboring country peacefully. However, it is ready to protect the sovereignty of the nation, said the Prime Minister.

The media queried the Deputy Prime Minister that it seemed that the Thai Government solved this problem after Cambodia. The Deputy Prime Minister said that if we respond to actions with emotion, we will only stress ourselves. All we should do is to protect our own interests, and the issue is simply on different methods that different nations take. The media also asked what the Government thinks about the effects that confidential documents would have on national stability of the nation, in which the Deputy Prime Minister said that there is nothing to be kept secret. The Prime Minister’s decision to reveal facts to the public is understandable, because there is a need to clarify misunderstandings on certain topics. The media asked whether by revealing confidential documents, it will lead to the return of street demonstrations, since it seems that after the debate, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the general public are still not satisfied. The Deputy Prime Minister replied that all groups of people, including the PAD, must open their minds to learn the facts. The affairs of the nation cannot be decided upon by personal prerogatives, because a single decision affects the entire nation.

About future action to solve the conflict between the two nations, the Deputy Prime Minister said that border issues do not occur only between Thailand and Cambodia but almost everywhere on earth. But the way people treat this problem is to solve it with through peaceful means, which include discussions and debates. This rule can also be applied to the Thai case, that is to say; if most people in Thailand expect to live with neighboring countries peacefully, we must walk along the peaceful path just like how the people of the world do and expect.

The media also asked a question concerning possible military confrontation. The Deputy Prime Minister replied that we should not worry about that issue. However, the situation between the two countries is not extremely critical to point that we must close off the border, be it temporary or permanent ones. We hope that the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia will not have an effect on the lives of citizens around the borders, summarized the Deputy Prime Minister.

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