A Change of Guard

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Thursday 12 April 2012

Cambodia deploys 4,500 police for Thaksin’s safety: Red Shirt leader [Hun Sen wasted taxpayers' money to protect a foreign fugitive, $20 free entry]

"Thaksin’s fans will also be granted free entry to the Angkor temple complex during their stay, both officials said. A standard day pass to the country’s most popular tourist attraction costs $20."


BANGKOK,
April 12 (MCOT)– A key leader of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), Thailand’s Red Shirt movement, said Thursday that more than 4,000 Cambodian police will be deployed to ensure the safety of Thailand's ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra who will visit the country this week.

UDD key leader Jatuporn Prompan, also a Pheu Thai party-list MP, said the Cambodian government will step up security measures at venues where the ex-Thai premier will visit during the Songkran Festival with 4,000 police officers and 500 plainclothes police being deployed.

Mr Jatuporn added that a number of Red Shirt guards will also join the security operations with the Cambodian officers.

He said that the Red Shirt supporters will cross the border into Cambodia beginning Saturday April 14 to join the water-pouring ceremony to ask a blessing from Mr Thaksin on the Thai New Year. He asked the red-clad festival-goers to enter the neighbouring country legally.

The venue of the water-pouring ceremony will be under tightened security, said Mr Jatuporn, adding that Cambodian officials will maintain highest security at all its entrances and exits.

Mr Thaksin, who is now in the neighbouring country Laos, earlier claimed that he had been under threat of his life four times.

On Wednesday, his arrival destination was changed without prior notice from Vientiane’s Wattay International Airport where a number of his supporters gathered to an army airport elsewhere for security concerns.

The fugitive ex-premier is scheduled to leave Pakse in the Lao PDR’s Champasak province for Siem Riep, Cambodia, on Saturday.

On Thursday, a 40 bus UDD caravan left Nong Khai across the Friendship Bridge for Vientiane for a water-pouring ceremony with their leader.

It is reported that the Lao authorities asked the UDD supporters not to wear red outfits and that only one thousand were allowed to meet with Mr Thaksin at Phra That Luang in Vientiane due to security concerns. (MCOT online news)
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Cambodia deploys huge security for Thaksin rally

AFP
Thursday, Apr 12, 2012

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia will deploy thousands of security personnel to police a mass rally for ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra this weekend, officials said Thursday.

Thaksin, a deeply divisive figure in neighbouring Thailand who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption, is set to address tens of thousands of his “Red Shirt” supporters on Saturday in northwestern Siem Reap province.

Phnom Penh said it will foot the bill to provide crowd control and protection for the former Thai leader, who has strong links to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

“We have a duty to provide security for Thai people and for Thaksin,” national police spokesman Kirt Chantharith told AFP.

He said there was no specific threat to anyone’s safety, but noted that the Red Shirts had a long-standing rivalry with Thai political opponents.

“This is a huge and historical event,” he said. “Many thousands of security forces will be in place,” including national police, military police, soldiers and bodyguards.

Mass rallies by Thaksin’s supporters in the Thai capital in 2010 descended into the kingdom’s worst political violence in decades, with more than 90 people – mostly civilians – killed in a military crackdown.

Thaksin remains a much-loved figure for many poor Thais, but is hated by much of the Bangkok-based elite in military, palace and bureaucratic circles who see him as autocratic and a threat to the monarchy.

The former tycoon, whose sister Yingluck became prime minister in Thailand last year, told the Red Shirts via a video address from neighbouring Laos on Wednesday that he expects to set foot in Thailand again this year.

Tep Bunchhay, the governor of Siem Reap town, best known as the gateway to Cambodia’s famed temples, told AFP by telephone that authorities had prepared a large campsite for the visitors.

He confirmed that Phnom Penh would take care of those expenses as well, though he expected “some of it” might be paid back by Thailand’s ruling Puea Thai Party.

Thaksin’s fans will also be granted free entry to the Angkor temple complex during their stay, both officials said. A standard day pass to the country’s most popular tourist attraction costs $20.

Cambodia and Thailand traded heavy arms fire over a disputed border in early 2011 under the previous Thai government. But ties have warmed significantly since Yingluck took power, largely thanks to her brother whom Hun Sen has called an “eternal friend”.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Khmers alway showing good heart and willing to do good thing toward Thai's people, but Thailand doing opposite way toward Khmers people instead..? Allowing Thai black soldier to shoot and killed khmers unarmed-innocent people....Why?? If people entering illegally, arrest them, put them in jail or something??

Anonymous said...

This people come to Cambodia, stay in some hotels and pay tax to the Cambodian authority.
Before you said about (Hun Sen wasted taxpayers money).
I hope you are a good Khmer citizen and pay all taxes to our Cambodian government.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

If hus sen like Thaksin, would they treat him the sam? may be not.

Anonymous said...

I don't hate Siamee people I hate soldiers and the f%@%#k politicians whose order the killing Khmer innocent whether with arm or w/o arm.

killing is wrong!..Buddha said that,Jesus said that, the f#%@&kers politicians doesn't cares about whose they killed.

I think Cambodia did the right thing by welcome these Siamee to srok Khmer so they can learn how nice Khmer people are.On there hand Khmer can earn some revenue from these people,you should thanks them for visit our land more often in groups like this...Its a win...win... situation for khmers when come to economy.
Khmer needs Siamee money,Huncent did the right thing this time...bravo..bravo..

Khmer prey Norkor

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen should talk to YingLuck face to face about Thai black clad soldier shooting an unarmed khmer people...If they broke Thai's law by entering illegally, just arrest them and jail them! Don't shoot an unarmed people like animals...I thought Thailand is a lawfull country?

Anonymous said...

2:12 AM, I agreed with Khmerization here.

These Thais came to Cambodia and they paid for their accommodation which is normal. But, they did not pay tax, it's the hotels that pay tax.

The bad thing here is Thaksin is not a head of state of another country making an official visit to Cambodia, he is a fugitive of another country. To spend hundreds of thousands of dollars deploy 4500 security troops to protect him is a waste of Cambodia's money. These money could be spent helping the poor or building schools or roads.

Anonymous said...

Khmer prey Norkor.

Siem are welcome in our country, but they are not welcome in our country if they continue to come into our country to claims whats is our as their.

If Hun Sen wants to welcoem him to his house. do it, but dont use the national budget. and dont use 5000 police officers to protect one person.

Hun Sen have 5000 bodyguards to protect his compound, and another 5000 police officers to protect one person.

Who owns Cambodia, Thailand, Vietname, or Khmer?

Anonymous said...

You're wrong they the price of ticket to see Ankor Wat.Itd cost $20 each.Cpp provides security that about it.Siamee paid for foods the cost of entry to temple cost.

I am not Cpp clans,I live outside Cambodia like you,like you the poster above.The more visitors to Angkor watt the more money Cambodia makes.Do you understand anything about economic system!?...so sit back and relax ok!!!
Cpp did the right thing this time to provide security for these Siamee;I am applause you.

economist..young Khmer professional..

Anonymous said...

11:30 AM, Just read the article first before making any statements. The article said Thaksin's supporters, number in their 40,000, will get a free ticket to the Angkor Wat temple complex. It means Cambodia gives free tickets to Thai people worth $800,000 and plus the costs of deploying 4500 security forces to protect them, the costs could exceed $2 million easily just to protect a foreigner who did nothing for Cambodia. Can you see the cost to Cambodia?

Now, if you and me, who live overseas, go to visit Angkor Wat, we will have to pay $20, $40 and $60, depending on what tickets we want. But these Thais visit Angkor Wat for free? This is ridiculous!

Anonymous said...

13 April 2012 11:30 AM

Dont call yourself a Khmer or a professional. Call yourself a CPP dog, in your views, everything CPP have done is good.

Reread the article, what is the gain in providing 5000 police officers for one Siem criminal.

Sam Rainsy protected the Khmer land unlike this exiled Siem. But We don't see Sam Rainsy receiving 5000 bodyguards anywhere.

Why should this criminal Siem deserves a 5 star treatment but our Khmer hero deserves 12 years in prison?

Anonymous said...

11:30 AM, not only that the Thais will get free tickets to Angkor Wat, they didn't even pay a cent for the hotels in Cambodia because they brought they own tents, they slept inside their tents, so they did not contribute any money to Cambodia. But Cambodia gave them free tickets worth $800,000 and probably paid more than a million dollars to deploy 4500 security forces to protect them. Hun Sen is such a stupid prime minister!
Read and see pictures at DAP News here: http://www.dap-news.com/typography/the-news/40180-2012-04-12-14-56-06.html

Anonymous said...

Before we blame our government or Mr. Thaksin, we should study the declaration of the authority.
They have said, Mr. Thaksin will reimburse all the cost for this meeting during the new year days to the authority of the province Siemreap.

Anonymous said...

10:47 PM, could you provide us with the declaration or the link to it please.

This is what the article said: "He,Tep Bunchhay, the governor of Siem Reap town, confirmed that Phnom Penh would take care of those expenses as well, though he expected “some of it” might be paid back by Thailand’s ruling Puea Thai Party."

This is another paragraph from the article: "Phnom Penh said it will foot the bill to provide crowd control and protection for the former Thai leader, who has strong links to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen."

This is clear enough that Cambodia is paying for everything.

Anonymous said...

So far, it is NOT FAIR to our hero leader Mr. Sam Rainsy who devoted his life to save and protect Khmer people and farmers.

CPP clans and Vietnamese puppet Hun Sen are very bad and so corrupted!!!