Khmer Article

Thailand to revive revoked MoU with Cambodia

2012-01-04T10:24:00.003+07:00

BANGKOK, Dec 30 (MCOT) - The Thai government is considering reviving the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the kingdom's maritime border signed with Cambodia in 2001 but which was revoked by the previous government, according to Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul.

Speaking to the media at Suvarnabhumi Airport upon returning from his official two-day visit to Cambodia, Mr Surapong said the government is considering revoking the cabinet resolution which terminated the MoU on overlapping maritime boundaries in the Gulf of Thailand signed with Cambodia in 2001.

When the MoU is revived, the government could go ahead on negotiations under the framework of MoU, he said.

The MoU was signed by then foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Cambodia's deputy prime minister Sok An on June 14, 2001, under the Thaksin Shinawatra-led administration.

The agreement enables Thailand and Cambodia, which share 26,000 square kilometres of the overlapping maritime area, to jointly develop oil and gas projects.

The Abhisit Vejjajiva administration on Nov 10, 2009 approved the foreign ministry's proposal to revoke the 2001 MoU on overlapping maritime boundaries.

The decision followed Cambodia's appointment of Thailand's fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thailand feared the appointment could affect negotiations on joint development of overlapping maritime claims of some 26,000 square kilometres believed to be rich in oil and gas.

Mr Surapong said that during the two-day visit to Cambodia, he also met with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and agreed to open an Aranyaprathet-Stung Bath border checkpoint near the Poi Pet checkpoint in Banteay Meanchey province as soon as possible to boost trade and tourism between the two nations.

He said Thailand and Cambodia also agreed to hold the next Joint Commission on the Bilateral Cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia (JC) Feb 29- March 1, 2012 in Chiang Mai.

Meanwhile, the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) will meet in Feb 2012. The date and venue will be announced later.

Thailand, Cambodia aim for offshore oil development

2011-12-30T14:16:00.003+07:00

PHNOM PENH Dec 29 (Reuters) - Offshore oil and gas reserves in disputed waters of the Gulf of Thailand could take up to a decade to tap, despite progress between Thailand and Cambodia towards restarting talks on joint development, Thailand's energy minister said on Thursday.

The two countries are keen to reach an agreement on joint exploration and development of the Overlapping Claim Area (OCA) in the Gulf, which has been delayed by political upheaval in Thailand and sometimes deadly border disputes.

Thai Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan said Thailand would seek parliamentary approval to restore a decade-old Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries that was scrapped by the previous government when relations deteriorated.
Negotiations on joint development and revenue-sharing would soon follow, he added.

"There are processes that need to be done on both sides but the intention was very good, the relationship was very good and we're certain in the future there'll be no more conflict," Pichai told reporters after a meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, also head of the National Petroleum Authority.

"We want to see this proceed with success because it's for energy security for both countries ... for another 40 or 50 years," he said.

But he accepted it would be some time before oil and gas could be produced in the OCA, which covers 27,000 sq km (16,000 sq miles). "There are a lot of processes and it could be eight to 10 years before a single drop of oil and gas comes."

The two countries had come close to an agreement but that was derailed when former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra was overthrown by the military in 2006. However, since his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, became prime minister in August, diplomatic ties have warmed significantly.

Chevron Corp and Total have exploration rights to Block A in the disputed stretch of the Gulf, which Thailand and Cambodia have both claimed sovereignty over since the early 1970s.

Three Japanese firms -- Inpex, Marubeni Oil and Gas, a subsidiary of Marubeni Corp, and Mitsui Oil Exploration Co, a unit of trading house Mitsui & Co Ltd -- have expressed interest in the reserves.

Pichai said energy officials from the two countries had discussed plans to work together in areas like gas separation, power generation and chemical production, and Cambodian engineers would be invited to train in Thailand.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said the two countries also discussed plans to build a power plant in Koh Kong province bordering Thailand, which would purchase most of the electricity.

Phnom Penh proposed swap deal for Veera and Ratree

2011-12-30T14:15:00.004+07:00

Cambodia on Thursday refused to free the two Thai activists jailed on spy charges but offered a deal to swap them with Cambodian prisoners jailed in Thailand.

Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said Phnom Penh insisted that Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Wiwattanapaibul have to serve a portion of their jail terms as stipulated in the law before being eligible to request for royal pardon.

Surapong was in Phnom Penh Wednesday to hold talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Hor Nam Hong. Top on the agenda was the fate of Veera and Ratree who were arrested along with other Thais on December 28 last year while inspecting a border area.
The other Thais were freed after a Cambodian court suspended their jail terms. Veera and Ratree were sentenced to eight and six years in jail respectively.

Surapong said he would ask authorities concerned to consider Cambodia's latest offer as it is the first case and the country has no experience of this.

Meanwhile Veera's mother; Wilaiwan, met Surapong at the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh to ask the minister to talk to Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and help secure freedom for her son and Ratree.

Thai-Cambodian talks to neutralise exploration conflict

2011-12-30T14:14:00.003+07:00

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An called for a renewed discussion with Thailand over power generating and conflicts over overlapping petroleum exploration area, said Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan.

After his meeting with the Cambodian minister today, Pichai said that Sok An wanted all conflicts cleared within a year and a half, for the mutual benefits of both countries.

Pichai noted that the matter is now upto the Foreign Affairs Ministry's negotiation team. He insisted that no particular person would gain benefits if the negotiation allows a joint development similar to what Thailand agreed with Malaysia or Vietnam. To lead the Thai investment is PTT Plc, which is majority owned by the government, he said.
"During my trip to Burma, there was a criticism that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would benefit from the petroleum concessions granted to PTT and he insisted that he had no share in PTT Group. I'd like to say that all should be concerned about Thailand's long-term gain," the minister said.

Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said that the Thai government also wished to quickly solve the conflict. He would soon ask for the Cabinet's endorsement if it wants to revoke the memorandum of understanding with Cambodia signed in 2001. If it stands by the Abhisit government's proposed revocation, the parliamentary approval will be sought and then a new round of negotion would begin.

But if the Yingluck government wants to maintain the MoU, the negotiation with Cambodia on the overlapping area would be restored accordingly.

He noted that should such negotiation lead to a joint development, it would take over 10 years to discover natural gas.

Border talks finally under way

2011-12-22T10:43:00.000+07:00

The 8th meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee finally began today in Phnom Penh after a series of clashes this year.

The deadly conflicts were sparked by a long-standing dispute over 4.6 sq-km of land around the centuries-old Preah Vihear Temple.

Cambodia in particular has been looking forward to the GBC as everything seems to be in its favour at the moment.

Thailand was forced to bow to the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) provisional order to withdraw troops from a 17.3 sq-km demilitarised zone, of which 8.5 sq-km is in Thailand and 8.8 sq-km is in Cambodia, and allow Indonesian observers into the area.

However, the armed forces' Supreme Commander Thanasak Patimaprakorn has previously rejected the ICJ's ruling, likening it to "practically losing territory". But since the Pheu Thai-led government has "very good relations" with Cambodian leader Hun Sen, the armed forces have no choice but to follow orders.
With strong ties to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Hun Sen seems to have had very few obstacles in his path.

"We never wanted to pull out the troops. But now it has become an obligation. We have no authority to make any decision about that," said Gen army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha.

Thailand and Cambodia are expected to sign an agreement to implement a set of joint measures in line with a five-point plan set out by the ICJ.

Other than the withdrawal of troops and deployment of observers, the ICJ also ruled that Thailand and Cambodia must set up a joint security checkpoint, jointly regulate the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda as well as the markets and communities nearby the Preah Vihear temple, and allow Unesco officials to enter the disputed area.

These five issues will be discussed by Defence Minister Gen Yutthasak Sasiprapa and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Banh at the GBC meeting.

Meanwhile yesterday, the Democrat Party accused Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul of allowing Unesco officials to enter the disputed Preah Vihear area alone without seeking permission from Thai authorities.

Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut also berated Mr Surapong for failing to lodge a protest against Unesco's accusation that Thai troops had damaged the Preah Vihear temple during the clashes earlier this year.

Bangkok Post

Koh Kong commander denies apologizing for helicopter shooting

2011-12-21T09:12:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH,Dec 20 (CEN)-Koh Kong Provincial Military Commander
Yun Min issued a statement Tuesday denying he had apologized for
Cambodian troops firing on a Thai helicopter that strayed into
Cambodian territory last week.

"We didn’t talk about who was right or wrong. But we agreed to
continue cooperation to avoid such an incident from happening again," he said, referring to
a meeting between the Cambodian and Thai armies in Kao Lan on Sunday.

Thai reports said earlier that Cambodia had expressed regret over the incident in which
Cambodian troops opened fire on a Thai military helicopter which entered Cambodian
territory on Ta Min Mountain in Koh Kong province on December 15.

One Laotian group's opinion regarding Thais

2011-12-13T14:43:00.000+07:00

It's interesting to see this Facebook paged created by one Laotian's group to express their opinions about Thais as their neighbor:

I hate Thailand that always looks down on Laos

Siam must not steal other countries' land anymore because nowadays there is international justice not like before. You Siam robbers should be in prison.

Siam must shut their mouth for now and stop looking down on others. Siem should solve their internal conflict first before interfere with other countries or you will be hated everywhere around you and your country will be dissolved quickly in no time

Siam = olo

Honestly, I don't understand the meaning of the last phrase "Siam = olo". Anyone knows what does it mean?

The Facebook page is linked here.

Another Cambodian shot dead in Thailand

2011-12-01T13:31:00.000+07:00

Another Cambodian illegally logging in Thailand was shot dead on Tuesday, making him at least the fourth to be killed while felling trees in Cambodia’s western neighbour this month alone.

Chi Sophal, deputy chief of the Cambodian-Thai border communication team at O’Smach International Border Crossing in Oddar Meachey province, said 22-year-old Tun Kimsan was shot in the head at about 4pm on Tuesday.

“The deceased’s family is very poor. They do not even have land to do farming, so he took a risk to log, even though the authorities warned the villagers not to enter the forest to log,” he said.

Srey Naren, Oddar Meanchey provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said Tun Kimsan was shot in the ear after he crossed the border with four boys aged between 10 and 14.

Tun Kimsan’s family buried him yesterday in his hometown of Aphiwath village in Samrong town’s O’smach commune after Thai soldiers returned the body about two and a half hours after he was shot, Chi Sophal said.

The families of three other men who were shot while logging in Thailand nine days ago filed a complaint with Adhoc yesterday urging them to stop Thai officials from cremating their deceased love ones instead of returning their corpses.

Thai officials have reportedly refused to return the bodies, instead agreeing to give the families of the deceased their ashes on Thursday.

Mach Saray, 28, who is four months pregnant, said she had lost her husband Tri Sambo, 37, and brother Mach Klo, 35, after Thai authorities opened fire on them.

“I ask Adhoc to intervene, getting my husband and brother’s corpses home and I call for any NGOs to feed my four children. I am too poor to feed them,” she said.

Source: Phnom Penh Post

Thais refuse to return dead Cambodians their soldiers shoot

2011-11-29T16:18:00.000+07:00

Thai authorities have refused to give families back the bodies of three Cambodians shot while allegedly logging illegally in Thailand, instead deciding to cremate them, the father of one of the deceased said yesterday.

Police said yesterday three men from Samrong town’s Bansay Reak commune in Oddar Meanchey province were shot one week ago in Thailand.

Chan Try, 62, the father of 32-year-old victim Try Sambo, said when he went to Thailand yesterday to retrieve his dead son, Thai soldiers said they had wanted to burn the body first.

“They showed us the picture of the corpse and I could recognise that my son was killed,” he said. “Thai soldiers said they wanted to burn them in Thailand. We want to take the body for cremation in Cambodia and to hold a funeral ceremony.”
His son was shot a week ago after he left for Thailand with his brother-in-law, Mu Son, and two other men, Chan Try said.

A border relations official based at O’Smach International Border Crossing in Oddor Meanchey province, who helped facilitate an agreement for the repatriation of the bodies but declined to be named, said Thai officials had promised to return the bodies yesterday.

“But when we arrived to pick them up, they did not bring them and said wait for few more days,” he said.

Meanwhile, two victims who were shot when Thai troops allegedly opened fire on a group of Cambodians after they discovered them illegally logging in Thai territory on the weekend were hospitalised today.

The men were shot on Saturday and Sunday after crossing into Thailand with an unknown number of others from Trapaing Prasat district’s O’Svay commune in Oddar Meanchey province, police said.

Lim Te, Ou Svay commune police chief, said yesterday one victim, 22-year-old Lim Seiha, had been sent to Anlong Veng hospital after he crossed into Thailand from Tomnuk Aphiwat on Saturday.

“We warned the villagers repeatedly not to log like this, but they never listen to us. It is difficult to stop them because the village borders Thailand,” he said.

One of the group remained missing while another man who was shot in the same area on Sunday was sent to Siem Reap hospital yesterday.

A source close to Thai Ministry of Defence spokesman Thanatip Sawangsaeng said yesterday Thai defence personnel would investigate the incident today.

Source: Phnom Penh Post

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Boundary issue with Thailand likely to be stalled

2011-09-29T00:03:00.002+07:00

No matter who ends up leading the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), the task of demarcating the border between the two countries will never be completed if the Kingdom is unable to de-politicise the issue.

The opposition Democrat Party started campaigning against the reshuffle of the JBC once it learned that Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul had replaced the previous government's man, Asda Jayanama, with career diplomat Bandit Sotipalalit.

Asda was made JBC chief in much the same way as Bandit, when Kasit Piromya, foreign minister under the Democrat-led government, had him replace career diplomat and legal expert Vasin Teeravechyan last November. Kasit never explained why the move was made and Vasin never complained about the move being unfair.

While Asda was in charge, the JBC only held one meeting in Indonesia this April and made no significant progress on demarcating the boundary or easing the strained relations with Cambodia.

Now, the Democrats are accusing Surapong of making the changes to please Phnom Penh. On Monday, the foreign minister said he would sue Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut for defamation – thus kicking off a brand-new political game.

Basically, the key difference between Bandit and Asda is their personalities. Bandit is moderate and soft-spoken, while Asda is a hardliner and speaks his mind. However, both are seasoned diplomats who have served at the Foreign Ministry. It would be very difficult to say who loves Thailand more and very unfair to accuse one or the other of putting a foreign country's interest ahead of their nation.

The boundary between Thailand and Cambodia was delimited and demarcated more than a century ago, when the neighbouring country was still a French colony. Most of the 800-kilometre boundary is marked with pillars with the exception of areas near the Preah Vihear Temple.

Though time, nature, war and humans have removed these pillars, it is the JBC's task to find them and, through negotiations, clarify the boundary line. The task is very technical and most of the commission's members are technicians from both countries. Together they need to fine-tune the understanding of treaties and maps that were agreed upon more than 100 years ago. Both sides need to be flexible and ready to make compromises, otherwise they will never find common ground on where the boundary should be marked.

In the 10 years since it was set up, the JBC has made a great deal of progress and has found quite a few of the boundary pillars. However, the JBC's task was politicised in 2008 when the yellow-shirt nationalist movement and the Democrat Party started voicing anger against late prime minister Samak Sundaravej's support for Cambodia's plan to have the Preah Vihear Temple listed as a World Heritage Site.

In reality, the inscription of the site has nothing to do with the demarcation of the boundary, but the Democrats and the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy accused the Samak government of losing the territory adjacent to the temple to Cambodia.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple was situated on land that came under the sovereignty of Cambodia, but Thailand has been disputing this ruling. In 2008, then-foreign minister Noppadon Pattama was forced to step down after he issued a communique.

September 28, 2011
Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

Dogs Eat Owner

2011-09-08T11:18:00.001+07:00

Residents prepare to transport sacks containing dogs eating their owner

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Seven dogs starved of food and water for two weeks are suspected of eating their Indonesian owner after he returned to his hometown in Manado from a holiday, local media reported on Tuesday.

A neighborhood guard was curious when he saw luggage lined up at the front of Andre Lumboga's house, days after the 50-year old arrived back home. He approached the house, smelled something foul and called the police, according to a report.

"His skull was found in the kitchen, and his body was found in the front of his house," Eriyana, a local police chief in Batam, an island off Sumatra, told VIVAnews website.

Lumboga arrived home last Wednesday, but his body was just discovered on Monday.

"We suspect that the dogs were hungry, so they attacked Andre, because they had not been fed for 14 days," he said. Police also found bones of two other dogs, believed to have also been eaten by the hungry canines.

Lumboga was from northern Sulawesi island, a predominantly Christian area, where the local spicy diet is famous in Indonesia for including dogs, bats and forest rats.

(Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu; Editing by Neil Chatterjee and Ed Lane)

A Cambodian gets two years in jail

2011-09-06T15:18:00.001+07:00

The Kantharalak Court on Tuesday handed down two-year jail terms each to a Thai national, a Cambodian and a Vietnamese after finding them guilty of spying along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The three men are Suchart Muhammad, a 32-year-old Thai Muslim, Cambodian citizen Ung Kimtai, 43, and Nguyen Teng Yang, 37, a Vietnamese national. They were arrested on June 7 in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district while they were driving a pickup truck in an area controlled by the Thai military along the border near the Preah Vihear temple.

The three were carrying maps with military bases marked on them. "The accused have pleaded not guilty, but the documents and evidence that were found in their possession lead the court to conclude that they were engaged in spying, and it sentences them to two years in jail each,'' the Kantharalak Court ruled, according to television reports. In addition to being jailed for spying, Suchart, the Thai, was also given a four-month jail term for using drugs while driving. Ung Kimtai, the Cambodian, was given an additional three months for using drugs.

A Cambodian representative and the first secretary of the Vietnamese embassy in Thailand were present to hear the court verdict, so were relatives of the three men and representatives of the Suranaree Task Force. Lawyers for the Cambodian and Vietnamese men said they would appeal the verdict. By Bangkok Post September 6, 2011

Transformers 3 shot in Cambodia

2011-08-31T17:06:00.003+07:00

“Transformers 3 – Dark Side of the Moon” was shot in Cambodia in February 2011 at the Angkor Temple Complex and Bokor Hill Station, according to Mr. Nicholas Simon, producer of Indochina Productions.

“Transformers 3” is the third part of the well-known science-fiction movie about TRANFORMER robots defending the earth.

“We want to shoot in Cambodia as it is one of the most beautiful countries around. With both Angkor Wat and Cambodia’s natural wonders, we will be able to maintain the large production scale of TRANFORMERS while giving the impression that the story is traveling all around the planet earth,” said Mr. Nicholas Simon in his letter addressed to Cambodian Minister of Information H.E. Khieu Kanharith.

This production highlighted the beauty the Angkor Temple Complex to a worldwide audience, he said, adding that it is estimated that over 500 million people have seen the previous two Transformers and with TRANFORMERS 3, millions more will discover the beautiful landscapes and cultural heritage of Cambodia.

Mr. Simon also recalled his good experiences in film production working in Cambodia on projects such as ORACLE, Matt Dillon’s CITY OF GHOSTS and Legendary Pictures’ I AM THAT MAN. –AKP

Behind the Scenes in Cambodia

Cambodia Scene in Transformers 3

Thaksin and Thailand's foreign policy

2011-08-19T10:19:00.002+07:00

The erstwhile Democrat-led government of Abhisit Vejjajiva made "catching the fugitive" the heart of its foreign policy. Mr Abhisit's Foreign Ministry team _ including Kasit Piromya as foreign minister, vice-minister Panich Vikitsreth and the minister's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut _ spent a vast amount of time and resources on this unsuccessful venture.

The costs and negative consequences from such a one-track policy are high and have now become a burden on the present government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The intense political conflict since the coup d'etat of Sept 19, 2006 derailed the foreign policy initiatives put in place during the administration of Thaksin Shinawatra. His vision was carried out by Surakiart Sathirathai and, subsequently, by Kanthati Suphamongkhon. As foreign ministers, both were at the forefront in putting Thailand on the international radar screen. Recognition was not limited to the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations and neighbouring countries, but expanded into many formal and informal multilateral forums such as the Asian Cooperation Dialogue. The expanded network was designed to put Thailand as the centre of the various ongoing discussions and dialogues. In our globalised world it is essential to be in the midst of things and, of course, to be recognised and consulted.

Thaksin's game plan seemed to work smoothly. Multilateral, bilateral and business deals were made, although later on Thaksin was accused of making deals for his own benefit. But all in all, the nation benefited.

The free trade agreements _ for instance with China and India _ which were attacked by the then opposition Democrat Party and the People's Alliance for Democracy, have since proved to be the key instruments in sustaining trade and growth as China and India emerge as the engine of growth for Asia-Pacific and the world. Neighbouring countries, especially our historical arch-enemies Cambodia and Burma, were on talking terms and relations were friendly.

Thailand's respectable status provided a platform for Mr Surakiart to run for the post of the United Nations secretary-general; he was a front-runner, till the coup ended Thailand's legitimacy as a viable democracy.

From that point on, Thai diplomacy went south. It hit rock bottom during Mr Abhisit's administration.

The failed Asean summit and a non-productive Asean chair, the bickering with Cambodia, the non-dialogue with Burma, the lukewarm relations with China, the walking out of the World Heritage meeting are prime examples of diplomatic missteps and the determinant of foreign policy to please domestic alliances that toppled Thaksin and brought into power the last government.

That being said, on the flip side of the coin, now that Thaksin's supporters are back in power and Ms Yingluck is prime minister, they must not fall into the same pit. For if Mr Abhisit's foreign policy priority was to hunt down Thaksin, Ms Yingluck's diplomacy should not be only to vindicate Thaksin at any cost.

The current controversy about Japan granting permission for Thaksin to enter the country next week, could be a prelude to more controversies yet to come. It appears that the past government used political pressure on other countries to constrain Thaksin from travelling where he wished. Thaksin is not on the "wanted" list of Interpol. The criminal cases against Thaksin, especially the one in which he was found guilty, may be so under Thai law and the Thai court's decision, but many countries viewed them as political in nature.

What is not consistent is what happened after Ms Yingluck assumed premiership and the new Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul was appointed. The Japanese indicated that the visa request was from the Thai government; Ms Yingluck and Mr Surapong said it was the decision of the Japanese and that Thaksin was on a personal trip, that he was not a government representative. The opposition Democrats are gearing up to impeach the prime minister and foreign minister, claiming both have overstepped the bounds of the Constitution.

In parallel, a newspaper quoted a source regarding the intention of the new government to return Thaksin's diplomatic passport, which he is entitled to as a former prime minister. The Surayud government revoked it after the coup and the last government continued with that policy.

The matter has been denied by Mr Surapong as he has yet to review the documents.

In addition, in the past two days, news of Thaksin travelling to Cambodia has been tied with the discussions on the development of gas fields in the Gulf of Thailand. This is another politically sensitive issue that could bring the yellow-shirted PAD back into action. Noppadon Pattama, another former foreign minister and close aide to Thaksin, has denied that Thaksin plans to visit Cambodia.

Some say Thaksin should sit still, but knowing Thaksin, that won't happen. He will continue with his business ventures while at the same time working to exonerate himself. However, Thaksin's vast network could be beneficial to the nation's interests. Ms Yingluck must prove she can use her brother's resources for the benefit of all instead of vice versa.

It would not be fair to instantly brand Mr Surapong as Thaksin's lackey. Mr Surapong has spent years with the Democrats and was vocal in his attacks on Thaksin's telecom policies and conflicts of interest. His turnaround, according to him, was because he learned something was wrong in the Democrats' line of attack. Although he is not an old diplomatic hand as some would like, he is a veteran politician who knows the ins and outs. Give him a chance and maybe he can achieve what an old hand like Mr Kasit could not.

Domestic political fights that engulf and dictate foreign affairs result in lost opportunities in trade, investment and security leverage. The current economic crisis in Europe and the United States and the upcoming Asean Economic Community in 2015 are issues that must be dealt with immediately.

Effective diplomacy will play an important role in Thailand's future and its place in the world. The nation's credibility in international forums must be rebuilt after five years in the doldrums.

Ms Yingluck and Mr Surapong must make a clean break from the circle of issues surrounding Thaksin in foreign affairs. My concern is, if this government's foreign policy remains tangled with Thaksin, albeit from a different and opposite angle, it would be no different from the previous government's, with the end result that our country is left in even worse shape for everyone concerned.

19/08/2011
Suranand Vejjajiva
Bangkok Post

It's time for new Thai PM to fire army chief- Prayuth Chan-ocha

2011-08-17T14:29:00.000+07:00

Her government is now in full operation. For now, Yingluck will need to deliver on her election promises, ranging from implementing an effective economic policy and mending the country's ties with Cambodia. There is, however, one top priority that Yingluck has not made her position clear on - removing the anti-Pheu Thai Army chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha.

True, Yingluck desperately seeks to build a working relationship with the military. When her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, wanted to weaken the military by interfering in its internal affairs, he was toppled in a coup. But the situation has changed and Yingluck is now playing a different political game. Her overwhelming popular support in this post-coup period signifies the public discontent with the military's political intervention. Yingluck is therefore urged to invent a new culture under which elected civilians control the military.

Yingluck will certainly meet her match. General Prayuth is not just a typical royalist soldier. A self-proclaimed anti-Thaksin figure, he blatantly interferes in politics. Yingluck may find it almost impossible to work with a man who openly disapproves of her own brother, the Pheu Thai political platform and the red-shirt movement.

Thus, a question emerges: Should Yingluck sack Prayuth from his current post as the Army chief? There are five reasons for the new prime minister to do so.

First, General Prayuth is not politically neutral. As the Army chief, he must not take sides because to do so would further polarise Thai politics. In fact, he should be barred from making political statements. Prior to the election, General Prayuth frequently appeared on national television, urging Thais not to vote for the Pheu Thai Party. His action was inappropriate. He betrayed the professionalism of the Thai military.

On June 14, Prayuth said, "Voters should use their good judgement to choose the best candidates to run the country efficiently. If you allow the election [result] to be the same as before, you will not get anything new and you will not see any improvement from this election. Voters must not allow themselves to be blinded by the personalities involved and must not vote for politicians who violate morals or laws.

"Why vote for them? I want to ask you to vote for good people who are determined to work for the good of the country", General Prayuth stressed.

His TV appearance was seen by Pheu Thai as a move to stem the apparent rising popularity of Yingluck, its top party list candidate.

Second, General Prayuth continues to drag the monarchy into the political fray even when he earlier warned Thai politicians not to do so. He claimed that there was an anti-monarchist undertone in certain campaigns, especially by groups of Thais living overseas, and that security organisations have found evidence of "rampant" lese-majeste in some instances.

The lese-majeste law has been used as a weapon by different factions to undermine their opponents. The military has also exploited the lese-majeste law to defend its position in politics. General Prayuth's repeated reference to the draconian law will obstruct the government's renewed reconciliation effort.

Third, General Prayuth himself has become "too politicised". It is difficult to find any consistency in his actions and statements. As a soldier who dared to publicly identify his political enemies, he must stick to his words. While he previously discouraged Thais from voting for Pheu Thai, he rushed to congratulate Yingluck on her election success, less than 24 hours after the ballot boxes were closed.

On April 23, Prayuth said, "The only thing we want to ask is for all parties not to violate the monarchy or bring the monarchy into their conflicts."

As mentioned above, it was General Prayuth who pulled the monarchy into the political ring and kept making allegations against some Pheu Thai members for their supposed disloyalty to the much-revered institution.

Fourth, General Prayuth was one of the chief operators behind the brutal crackdowns in April and May last year. While he was the second man in the Army at the time, it was reported that he could have been behind the order to go ahead with the crackdowns. So far, no Army officers have been brought to justice for the alleged crimes they committed against unarmed demonstrators. A recent report by the BBC's Fergal Keane alleged that the military was indeed responsible for the killings of red-shirt protesters.

Clearly, the Army under the leadership of General Prayuth perceives the elimination of internal enemies as its top agenda. The healing process in Thai society will not be achieved if justice is not given to the victims of state violence. Such a perception of the Army could only worsen the already fragile situation.

Fifth, General Prayuth lacks a sense of diplomacy. He "declared war" against Cambodia and brought back an obsolete, security-centric foreign policy. His hostile attitude toward Cambodia, which is partly derived from the incessant politicisation of the (disputed) Preah Vihear Temple issue, spearheaded by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), will complicate the work of the current government in its attempt to renew ties with Cambodia for the sake of peace and prosperity for the people in the border area.

It is time for Madame Prime Minister to act like a true soldier - fire the one who has caused great damage to Thai interests.

August 17, 2011
By Pavin Chachavalpongpun
The Nation

Pavin Chachavalpongpun is a fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Follow Pavin at www.facebook.com/pavinchachavalpongpun.

Metal pieces found in Preah Vihear: Suspected spy plane parts

2011-08-17T11:01:00.000+07:00

The authority was inspecting the metal pieces suspected to be part of a spy plane exploded mid-air. The pieces were found in Preah Vihear province on 16 August 2011 (Photo: Hang Savyouth, RFA)

Joint authority force in Preah Vihear province have discovered several metal pieces made from aluminum spread on the ground. The parts could be pieces a small plane flying over Kulen district, located about 40 km southwest of Preah Vihear city.

The discovery was made after 3 loud explosions were heard in the air on Tuesday morning.

Research teams from the joint force including soldiers, military police and CMAC employees, indicated that several metal pieces measuring 4 to 7-cm thick, as well as an electrical box were found near a villager’s house and also in several locations in the forest located in Kulen district, south of Sroyong commune, after several consecutive explosion sounds were heard. The sound created panic among villagers located about 40-km around the area.

On Tuesday 16 August, Sor Thavy, the deputy district governor of Preah Vihear province, said that several explosion sounds were heard at about 6AM, then the authority started the search immediately after villagers from Kulen district reported that they saw metal pieces raining down from the sky near their houses.

The Preah Vihear provincial authority made a preliminary assessment that the metal pieces could be parts of a small spy plane that were remotely controlled and that there were no pilot in the plane.

Nevertheless, the Cambodian authority did not yet find proof that these metallic pieces were part of spy plane, nor did they find where did the plane come from or its country of origin.

16 August 2011
By Hang Savyouth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Thais drop 'spy' charge against Cambodian

2011-08-16T17:06:00.000+07:00

A court in Thailand switched charges against a Cambodian national from espionage to trespassing close to a military base in a hearing that was delayed for a second time, foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said yesterday.

Ung Kimthai, 46, appeared at court in Thailand’s Sisaket province yesterday to face charges of espionage and drug use following a delay in his first hearing on July 26.

Thai authorities have claimed they seized a map with military bases on it and photos taken near a base when they apprehended Ung Kimthai on June 7.

“Our lawyers and Kimthai himself continue to strongly reject this groundless accusation,” Koy Kuong said.

He said the court lacked sufficient evidence to try Ung Kimthai, and called the allegations against him a “bad trick and unacceptable”.

Vietnamese national Wieng Terng Yang and Suchat Muhammad, a Thai national, both of whom were arrested with Ung Kimthai, also appeared in court.

Phnom Penh Post

The kingdom of wonders

2011-08-04T14:11:00.002+07:00

The Cambodian Government touts its country as the Kingdom of Wonder, a slogan that is more appropriate than perhaps it intended. You wonder what to expect on a visit to Cambodia and when you leave, you wonder exactly what you've experienced.

It confronts and confounds, disturbs and excites. A thinking tourist will surely experience every colour of the emotional rainbow. In many places, like the floating villages, there's barely a pot of food and in others, such as the Royal Palace, much more than a pot of gold.

The buzzing capital city, Phnom Penh, is an immediate assault on the senses. The roads are semi-organised chaos (we saw a motorbike accident within our first few hundred metres of travel) and the streets are teeming with people.

Shops and stalls are right on the roadside and they're sectioned into quirky little enclaves - motorcycle tyres on one block, denim jeans on another; for hats you can cross the Chruoy Changvar Bridge. Otherwise you can go to the striking "yellow market" in an enormous domed Art Deco building frequented by the locals.

The food market here is a fascinating highlight and the selection of jewellery as well as clothes, homewares, electronics - even an unreleased iPhone 5 - is mind-boggling.

Phnom Penh is a curious combination of traditional architecture (like the ornate Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda) and French, with a bit of Art Deco thrown in, reflecting its past. And you can't get away from Cambodia's past. From the early ninth century, the Khmer Empire was a South-East Asian superpower.

In the 19th century it was colonised by the French. It became independent in the 1950s but the Vietnam War crossed its borders, giving rise to the notorious Pol Pot's Mao-inspired Khmer Rouge.

The legacy of Pot's vision for an agrarian utopia is that about 80 per cent of people live in the countryside without power or running water under long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been recently criticised for allegedly squandering international aid.

In Phnom Penh, the National Museum's collection of Khmer art is stunning, but being a tourist draw has made it a magnet for beggars. Outside there's a vivid example of the poverty in Cambodia as a young mother begs while she and her tiny baby share sips from a raw egg. Nearby is Mith Samlanh, or Friends, a restaurant helping keep kids off the street. The food in Cambodia is full of fresh flavours, fish and fruit with only mild chilli and plenty of lime.

The muddy Mekong River remains the heart of Phnom Penh. People flock to its banks to dine, drink, socialise, dance, play sport, fish and bathe. Boatloads of tourists cruise to the intersection of four rivers known as Chattomukh (four faces).

The faces, though, that a visitor will recall long after a visit to Phnom Penh are those of the hundreds of victims on display at Pol Pot's secret prison Tuol Sleng.

What was once a school full of happy children became a classroom of unspeakable terror. The manner in which the brutal torture and murder of its victims is displayed could almost be described as gratuitous if it weren't such a deliberately confronting reminder of a shameful period of history many young Cambodians refuse to believe even happened.

Likewise with the Killing Fields, a 20km journey out of the city where hundreds of thousands of people were slaughtered and tossed into pits. The stupa full of skulls arranged in age order - "female Kampuchean from 15-20 years old" - is not nearly as confronting as what at first glance appears to be a pretty grassed area but is actually full of deep depressions that are mass graves.

Even now, clothing pokes up through the dirt, so too pieces of bone; the chilling result of recent rain. Inside the museum are photographs of victims, including those of Australian David Lloyd Scott.

The 300km drive north to the country's other main centre of Siem Reap (literally Siamese Defeat) is a white-knuckle ride but gives a look at everyday Cambodian life.

The countryside is dotted with rice paddies and stilted homes, skinny white cows and mud-stained water buffalo. Along the way, the town of Skun is famous for deep-fried spiders (I flatly refused to eat one but apparently they actually do taste like chicken).

The ornate stone 12th century Kampong Kdei bridge, too, is worth visiting. Like many places popular with tourists, you face an onslaught of wily, persistent young salespeople and desperate beggars.

Just outside Siem Reap is a floating village, where hundreds of poor families, often Vietnamese refugees, live on the banks of the Tonle Sap Lake. Travellers can pay to go on one of the clunky boats and ogle this reluctant tourist attraction.

I thought it felt like "peasant porn" and was uncomfortable, though undeniably fascinating. At a stop along the way, women plead for money and children wearing docile serpents around their necks pose for photos with gawping foreigners who often refuse to hand over a few thousand riel (50 cents) for their time.

But the real attractions of Siem Reap, known as the gateway to Angkor, the seat of the Khmer Empire, are the temples. Spread across 300sqkm, there are hundreds, from Ta Prohm, where Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider was filmed among the webs of silk cotton tree roots, to the 12th century Preah Khan and the splendour of Angkor Wat.

It truly has to be seen to be believed, though I have to concede that the only downside of these magnificent structures is that the sheer number of tourists leaves you longing to experience them alone, in quiet meditation.

Cambodia is exhilarating and devastating, beautiful and challenging, poor yet thriving. It's a country that honours its history but is still coming to terms with its past, and which is still realising the extent of its tourism potential. Don't be left wondering how incredible it is.

FACT FILE

Air Asia flies from Perth to Kuala Lumpur daily (fares starting from $194) and then from Kuala Lumpur to Phnom Penh twice daily and from Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap once daily (around $45). Go to airasia.com.

Amanda Keenan travelled as a guest of Air Asia.

August 4, 2011
AMANDA KEENAN
The West Australian

ICJ's Map of Provisional Demilitarized Zone

2011-07-18T18:08:00.001+07:00

ICJ's Map of Provisional Demilitarized Zone

Thailand, Cambodia ordered to withdraw troops

2011-07-18T18:07:00.001+07:00

The International Court of Justice Monday voted 9:5 to order both Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw their troops from the disputed plot around Preah Vihear Temple.

Praj Iampongsan, a Nation Channel reporter, reported from Hague that the ICJ would proceed with the case to interpret the 1962 ruling on the Preah Vihear temple. Pending the ruling, both countries are required to pull out their troops from the area.

He said the court rejected Thailand's request to throw out the case.

Should the Thai government decide to comply with the court order and withdraw the troops from the 4.5 disputed area, it would be seen favourable for Cambodia.

Without Thai troops deployed in the disputed area, Cambodia could proceed to develop Preah Vihear as a world heritage site without obstacle.

Military observers expect that the Thai government would never comply with the order or else Thailand could be seen as being the wrong side during the past two years.

Earlier, the second Army area commander declared that he would never withdraw troops from the disputed area as doing so would be tantamount to giving the land to Phnom Penh.

The Nation via KI

The Thai Royal Jet

2011-07-17T19:54:00.000+07:00

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban A loser turns fear-monger

2011-07-11T14:01:00.001+07:00

The revenge of the loser of Thai general election and that is also the solace he can console himself is to become a fear-monger. That has happened to outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban. To be a good sport, he should leave quietly for now and allow the democratic process in Thailand to take its normal course, under the Pheu Thai Party government. He should remember that the people of Thailand have spoken.

Had he care about Thailand, and less about his personal interests, he would have said "the Democrat Party would be in the opposition, but it would act within the scope of the law," and that is good enough for Thailand.

His ill-sayings about Pheu Thai Party to have "set up armed elements," "organized people to harass the government;" his wild speculation that "the form of administration will be changed," because the Red Shirts have control of more than half of the country, just only days after the Democrat Party lost the election to the Pheu Thai Party, speak loud about the man who had been vested with full power to win the election for the Democrat Party.

For the past two years he had strategized by all means whether or not they are legal or not fully legal as long as they are inside the gray area between legality and illegality, with the purpose of knocking out all other contenders, especially the Pheu Thai Party.

It is damaging for Thai politics, when top politicians did not understand the meaning of "singing the Swan song," but kept on kicking and screaming to shake off their direct responsibility of losing the election to a political party "not in power," to speak ill and blame the winning Pheu Thai Party, and turn to be a fear-monger.

Suthep Thaugsuban's acrimonious remarks on "Thai-Cambodian relations" as reported by the Bangkok Post 6 July 2011 under the title Suthep makes grim prediction, saying: "He expected Thai-Cambodian relations to improve because Pheu Thai and the Hun Sen government were friends," implies beyond any doubt that he has long cast the Democrat Party and the outgoing Abhisit Vejjajiva government as the enemies of the Royal Government of Cambodia, resulting in numerous Thai armed aggression against Cambodia.

At last a surprised admission has been uttered by Suthep Thaugsuban.

I said to Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban: Learn to be a real politician, learn to sing the swan song when you had to relinquish the power, and stop being a fear-monger when you lost the general election to the Pheu Thai Party. Pen Ngoeun Member of the Press and Quick Reaction Unit (PRU) 9 July 2011.

Angelina Jolie’s Journey to Cambodia

2011-06-29T11:48:00.001+07:00

This is the 36s video of Angelina Jolie’s Journey to Cambodia For Louis Vuitton.

Jolie spotted in Siem Reap

2011-06-29T11:46:00.001+07:00

Photo by: Michael Sloan

International superstar Angelina Jolie was spotted at Siem Reap airport yesterday after an advertisement shoot for luxury brand Luis Vuitton reportedly finished.

Accompanied by her children, including adopted Cambodian-born son Maddox, Jolie was seen exiting a helicopter late in the afternoon.

A small number of tourists watched on – before security guards brought out screens to shield the family – as the group was whisked away in a mini-van and two four-wheeled drives, complete with darkened windows.

The drivers were wearing uniforms of Siem Reap’s exclusive Amansara hotel.

A well-placed source said Jolie had flown from Siem Reap to Battambang province in the morning and returned later that day.

In 2003, the mega-star founded an NGO called the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which operates out of Battambang province. It tackles conservation, education and infrastructure projects in the area.

Yesterday, the foundation’s human resources manager said he could not comment on Jolie as he had been on leave.

The star of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is thought to have arrived in Cambodia on Saturday for filming after a production team scouted out potential locations.
An advert was shot on the banks of a Siem Reap river while an interview for Louis Vuitton was also filmed, said a source close to the shoot who wished to remain anonymous.

Khmer Mekong Films provided the back-up production for the shoot.

The filming was yesterday hailed as a boon for the Kingdom’s film production sector by Cedric Eloy, chief economic officer of the Cambodian Film Commission. “This shows that Cambodia is a safe place to shoot movies,” he said. “In some quarters it still has the image of a place with violence, but projects like this will help to change the image.

“We’ve had six feature films shot in Cambodia in the last six months, and the film industry is opening Cambodia up to the world,” he added.

Phnom Penh Post

Jolie rocks the boat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2011-06-29T11:44:00.003+07:00

Photo by: Annie Leibovitz/Louis Vuitton

A new advertising campaign featuring Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie posing on a wooden boat in Siem Reap province with a £7,000 (US$11,374) handbag was launched yesterday in the International Herald Tribune newspaper.

The adverts, shot by world- famous photographer Annie Leibovitz for the Louis Vuitton Core Values advertising campaign, feature Jolie “sitting barefoot in a traditional wooden boat in the luxuriant, watery landscape of Siem Reap province”, according to an official press release.

Matthew Robinson, founder of Khmer Mekong Films, said yesterday that regardless of how successful the campaign might prove, the sheer scale of the production alone had provided a valuable contribution to the Kingdom’s economy.

“Any production, whether it’s advertising, whether it’s TV spots or a movie or a drama coming from outside is going to boost the economy,” he said, adding that such jobs typically provided employment and valuable experience to Cambodians.
Louis Vuitton declined to comment on the amount of money spent on the production yesterday, but Robinson stressed that it had been an expensive campaign, pumping dollars into the Siem Reap tourist economy as well.

Western press outlets have reported that Jolie received US$10 million for the campaign, a figure Louis Vuitton yesterday declined to confirm.

They also declined to specify how much of the sum the star would donate to charity, though the wording of the official press release indicates she will donate her entire fee.

Jolie is no stranger to philanthropic activities in Cambodia, having established her own NGO, the Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation, named after her adopted Cambodian son and set up in 2003 to tackle environmental degradation in Battambang’s Samlot district.

Her interest in the country may stem from a shoot here in 2000 for the action movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Jolie could be back behind the camera in the Kingdom yet again if producer Thomas Magyar gets his way. He announced in September that he was hoping to secure the actress for a US$70 million production to be filmed in Cambodia and tentatively titled The Great Khmer Empire. There is no word yet on whether Jolie is interested.