By Sopheng Cheang
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (CP)— Cambodia's leader pressed Thailand on Wednesday to explain why its security officials had accused his country of being a training ground for alleged Thai terrorists.
A senior official at Thailand's Department of Special Investigation said Monday that 39 members of Thailand's anti-government "Red Shirt" movement had been trained at a military base inside Cambodia and were plotting to assassinate the Thai prime minister and other top officials. Phnom Penh immediately denied the allegations.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said he exchanged text messages with his Thai counterpart, Abhisit Vejjajiva, over the issue and was told the DSI comments "do not wholly reflect the position of the Thai government."
"The comments raised by the ... DSI and the SMS I received (from Abhisit) were contradictory. Therefore, I need an explanation about this issue," Hun Sen said.
Separately, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said in Bangkok he would send information about the allegations to Cambodia in hopes of enlisting its co-operation. He said he hoped the issue would not affect relations between the neighbours.
The DSI official told a news conference Monday that 11 alleged Red Shirts arrested last week in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai were among 39 given ideological and combat training at the Cambodian base, including how to use assault rifles, grenade launchers and explosives.
Other Thai officials have since backtracked, saying the matter was still under investigation.
Hun Sen, a former guerrilla fighter, noted that Thai men are subject to conscription and military training, so he did not see the need to have them retrained in Cambodia. He also said he also doubted that they would be able to master the weapons in the three-week period they allegedly trained.
The Red Shirts — formally called the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship — held street demonstrations in Bangkok from March to May this year, demanding early elections. The protests degenerated into violence, and about 90 people, mostly protesters, were killed in clashes before the army cleared the streets.
Most top Red Shirt leaders have been detained on terrorism charges, which they deny and say are politically motivated.
Bangkok has been plagued this year by dozens of bombings widely thought to be linked to the political strife.
Cambodia's relations with Thailand have been contentious for decades, and have been exacerbated recently by a territorial dispute as well as Hun Sen's friendly relations with former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
The Red Shirts include many Thaksin supporters.
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