foreign minister, PM meet after Cambodia’s actions force return from APEC

BANGKOK, Nov 13 (TNA) – Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya met Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Friday morning at Parliament, having an urgent consultation regarding responses to Cambodia’s actions.

Cutting short his attendance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Singapore, Mr Kasit returned to Bangkok late Thursday after Phnom Penh expelled a senior Thai embassy official and Thailand later reciprocated in the same measure.

Arriving in Bangkok Thursday night, Thailand’s top diplomat gave no comment in response to the tit-for-tat diplomatic response, and gave no interview to the crowd of reporters gathered there.

Interviewed earlier by telephone while at the APEC meetings in Singapore, Mr Kasit said he would return to Thailand to meet with Thai Mr Abhisit over the latest Cambodian moves.

The Cambodian government on Thursday asked Thai first secretary to Phnom Penh Kamrob Palawatwichai to leave Cambodia within 48 hours without officially giving a reason.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs consequently asked the Cambodian first secretary in Bangkok to leave Thailand within 48 hours, in retaliation.

“The problem is caused by Cambodia and should be ended by Cambodia,” said the Thai foreign minister. “Thailand has done nothing wrong but the matter is caused by the former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.”

Mr Kasit asserted that Thailand will not tolerate the action, but will give time for Cambodia to reconsider and assert its position with facts.

The diplomatic spat between Thailand and Cambodia flared when the Cambodia appointed Thailand’s convicted on-the-run former premier Thaksin Shinawatra as a very high profile ‘economic adviser’.

Speaking Thursday in Phnom Penh, Mr Thaksin gave significant attention to criticising the performance of the present Thai government.

Thailand reacted to the Cambodian appointment by recalling its ambassador to Phnom Penh and revoking a memorandum of understanding on overlapping maritime boundaries by Thailand and Cambodia signed in 2001.

The Cambodian government reacted to Thailand’s retaliatory move by withdrawing its ambassador to Bangkok as a reciprocal action and handing over an already prepared note flatly rejecting Thailand’s request regarding Mr Thaksin only minutes after Thai diplomats presented the extradition papers to officials at Cambodia’s foreign affairs ministry Wednesday morning.

Mr Thaksin arrived in Phnom Penh Tuesday for his first assignment as Cambodia’s top economic adviser by lecturing 300 Cambodian business leaders and economists at the finance ministry Thursday and is reportedly expected to return to Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday.

Meanwhile, there was no security reinforcement at the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok.

Only 30 police are assigned to provide security at the embassy, working in three shifts, 10 officers per shift as a round-the-clock safety measure.

Two Special Branch Police officers also are attached to monitor security.

More barricades have been placed at the embassy’s font gate and surrounding area to prevent encroachment.

Before the senior diplomat’s eviction, the Thai prime minister Abhisit chaired a National Security Council meeting, saying the government has assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to consider additional responses after Cambodia rejected Thailand’s extradition request of the fugitive ex-premier.

The Thai premier reaffirmed that Thailand does not want to cause any violence, and asserted that measures to be implemented against its neighbour will not affect the daily lives of people in either country.(TNA)