Published: 4/07/2011
Bangkok Post
One of the first jobs of the new government must be an urgent reassessment of the Cambodian border problems. The outgoing government under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has not handled this issue well. The dead, the wounded and the homeless testify to that. The new government must reverse the walkout at the World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti.
Border relations with Cambodia, attention to our heritage and history and the country's image, all have been harmed in recent months.
It will be an effort to repair this damage and move ahead, but a determined government can handle the problem.
The faint praise and arm's-length "backing" that Mr Abhisit gave to Mr Suwit is instructive. Deeply involved in an election campaign, the premier sensed that the public had little sympathy for the walkout from Paris. Indeed, it was wrong on many levels.
The only saving grace for now is that Thailand has not signed anything, and it is only a walkout and not, as originally reported, a Thai decision to leave the World Heritage Convention.
An early act by the next prime minister should be to make it clear to the public and to Unesco that Thailand will be back, full of facts and fight, as soon as the WHC meets again.
From the beginning, the entire dispute over the border has seemed somewhat artificial. Even granting that the dispute over 4.6sqkm of territory is serious, there never seemed to be a real reason for military conflict. Cambodia has often been unreasonable and stubborn, but that is not a justification for mortal combat, with the death and destruction which always results.
In retrospect, sending Mr Suwit to Paris was probably a mistake. The World Heritage Commission is not a place for politicians. It is where technocrats and experts carefully watch and debate placement of commas and relevance of old maps. The head of the WHC delegation should be a highly qualified expert in Thai history and events in neighbouring countries.
One cannot blame Mr Suwit for acting like a politician; that is what he is.
Which brings us to the other politician deeply involved in this unnecessary problem. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen would do better to get over both his infatuation with ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, and his personal animosity towards outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit. The Khmer leader has not only allowed his personal feelings to intrude into the serious business of international diplomacy, he has relished the event.
In goading Thailand, especially through attacks on Mr Abhisit and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, Mr Hun Sen has exacerbated the passions which led to so many deaths and so much spilt blood.
Mr Suwit's claim is that Cambodian-sponsored documents under discussion at the WHC meeting "could have led" to a loss of territory. That has also been the singular claim of the People's Alliance for Democracy.
Yet the head of Unesco, Irina Bokova, has disputed this. And in truth, the WHC has never taken up the Cambodian plan for management of the temple, nor scheduled a meeting to discuss it.
It is thus unfortunate but inevitable that Mr Suwit's actions have been characterised as a political gambit, designed to get votes for his Social Action Party.The next government should handle this affair differently, and better.
3 comments:
To place blame on Hun Sen that cause death and destruction. This is so typical Thai which always pointing finger at someone else. Even little Cambodian kid can write better article than this guy. Just remember Thailand is the one who sent troop to the border in the first place, not Cambodia. Cambodia only responds to the Thai aggression. Whatever it is, don’t quite your day time jobs, pal. I just don’t buy your story.
In Thailand The politicians first have to be faithful to the Thai monarchy(The Thai military have right to overthrow any gov that they consider weak or not benefit to the Thai monarchy .
Cambodia hope the new Thai gov might bring ease to the tension at the border may be that hope is in vain , no Thai gov will stand the chance of labeling of "Kay Chart"(mean in Thai traitor ) and the military will step in and bring down the gov according to the Thai constitutions may be the only country in the entire universe that have such the constitutions.
The new Thai gov may ease a little bit to the border tension but not to the full extent of give up the unilateral map drawn by Field marshal Sarit. one must understand the Thai logic any politic in Thailand must work in benefit of Thailand.
Thaksin had lost his big chunk of fortune because the Thai monarchy suspected him not loyal to the Thai monarchy, Thaksin saga serve as the warning to any future Thai leaders of whom, who dare to challenge the Thai monarchy and Thai military.
The Thai king is near death and in the confuse state and its mostly General Prem [head of the privy council], who has his own agenda, speaking for him.
The crown prince had/has good relations with Taksin and less good with the army. General Prem and the establishment does not want him to become king and prefer his princess sister who lectures at a military academy and is more of a manipulable figure than the lively crown prince.
The Thai king is above the law and unable to find solutions and bring about recovery. This inability is because the government of the king has not governed the country for the people, as other governments have done. The government of the king has treated the people as slaves (some called phrai, some kha) and as animals. It has not considered them as human beings. Therefore, instead of helping the people, rather it farms on the backs of the people. It can be seen that from the taxes that are squeezed from the people, the king carries off many millions for personal use each year. As for the people, they have to sweat blood in order to find just a little money. At the time for paying government tax or personal tax, if they have no money, the government seizes their property or puts them on public works. But those of royal blood are still sleeping and eating happily. There is no country in the world that gives its royalty so much money as this, except the Tsar and the German Kaiser, in nations that have now overthrown their thrones.
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