Cambodia to lose bt40bln income

• Published: 10/11/2009 at 11:26 AM

Cambodia stands a chance of losing about 30-40 billion baht in tourism income as the latest conflict with Thailand has driven Thai and foreign tourists away, Apichart Sangka-aree, an advisor to the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said on Tuesday.

“On the tourism front, Cambodia will face stronger negative impact from the ongoing dispute than Thailand. European tourists now have refrained from visiting Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and visited the Northeast of Thailand which has similar culture and tourist attractions instead”, Mr Apichart said.

Charoen Wang-ananont, chairman of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), took the same tone, saying 95 per cent of Thai tourists who had booked tour packages to Cambodia in advance now have cancelled or delayed their visiting plans.

“We found that 20 per cent of them changed their destinations to Laos and another 10 per cent to Burma”, Mr Charoen said. The tourist attractions that coincidently gained benefits from the conflict included Luang Phrabang, Vientiane, Savannakhet, and Jampasak.

More than 600, 000 Thais visited the neighbouring country each year and they spent about 7,000 baht each, while only 60,000 Cambodian traveled to Thailand annually, according to TTAA chairman.

[Bangkok's] Recalling ambassador seen as 'over-reaction' in dispute

7/11/2009
Achara Ashayagachat
Bangkok Post

"The only positive factor was that the military on both sides had so far stayed clear of the political gamesmanship" - Charnvit Kasetsiri, a political historian

Thailand may have overreacted by recalling its ambassador to Cambodia in protest against the neighbouring country's appointment of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser, diplomatic sources say.
The government could have taken the lesser action of officially summoning Cambodia's ambassador to Thailand to protest Phnom Penh's decision instead, they said.
The diplomatic fallout over Cambodia's appointment of the fugitive Thaksin could cause significant damage to the Association of South East Asian Nations, a European diplomatic source said.
"If the dispute is not eased, Asean might be seen as a disintegrating grouping when they meet with the US president on the sidelines of Apec [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] summit in Singapore next weekend," the source said.
"Asean has just reaffirmed the building-up of the [Asean economic] community, but the Asean chair [Thailand] and its neighbour [Cambodia] are now fighting."
Diplomats are concerned the flare-up might spoil this weekend's Mekong Summit being held in Japan, which both Thai and Cambodian officials will attend.
Both Thailand and Cambodia have ordered their respective ambassadors home. But this action was not overly serious, a retired Thai ambassador said.
"It is just a show of protest against that country interfering in our affairs."
Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen's comment that Thaksin's prosecution for corruption was politically motivated - implying the Thai judicial system was neither independent nor fair - was far more inflammatory than appointing the criminal as an adviser, the former ambassador said.
"Thaksin was convicted by the Supreme Court, not just an ordinary court, and making such remarks is too much for a sovereign country to remain quiet," he said.
More worrying, there are no guarantees that the situation would not disintegrate into armed conflict between the two nations, said Charnvit Kasetsiri, a political historian.
"It is a pity that we play domestic politics without considering the impact on the little people, especially those along the border and the small and medium-scale businessmen working inside Cambodia," he said.
The only positive factor was that the military on both sides had so far stayed clear of the political gamesmanship, he said.
"Although Thailand's reaction is understandable and natural, hopefully the Thai government will be careful that its actions do not cause the situation to deteriorate," he said.
The latest dispute between Thailand and Cambodia makes a farce of the Asean vision of creating an economic community. It also made the regional bloc look like a clown to the outside world, he said.

A slap in the face of govt

6/11/2009
Bangkok Post EDITORIAL

Good diplomatic relations can be saved for later days when Cambodia has a leader with a genuine desire to make them work for the benefit of his people, not for himself or a favoured friend.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has driven a wedge further into the rocky diplomatic relations between his country and Thailand by appointing deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra his economic adviser. By extending his personal favour to the fugitive leader, Premier Hun Sen has given another slap in the face of Thai government leaders.

The chances are now slim that bilateral ties between the two countries will improve in the near future. This certainly cannot happen when a national leader's acts towards a neighbouring country are dictated by personal friendship and vested interests, not by the benefits of the peoples who share their border.

To say the least, Mr Hun Sen's latest bombshell on the Thai government is highly deplorable in the diplomatic context. On a more critical aspect, the signal he has sent out to the Abhisit Vejjajiva government is more than clear - his regime gives no recognition to the Bangkok leader and it has no respect for Thai law.

While Mr Hun Sen has the right to believe that Mr Thaksin is a political victim, he cannot deny that his decision to accord the former Thai leader such an appointment is a direct interference in Thailand's internal affairs. Relations between the two countries have worsened in recent months because of the Preah Vihear temple conflict. Bringing in the Thaksin issue will only complicate efforts by the two countries to settle the dispute.

Mr Hun Sen may feel satisfied at being able to do his "eternal friend" a favour and embarrass the Thai government at the same time for refusing to sort out the Cambodian-Thai territorial conflict the Cambodian way. However, the Phnom Penh leader must realise that his action will not get the problem solved any sooner. He has only added more resentment to the already bitter conflict, making it harder to resolve.

Thaksin, meanwhile, may feel pleased that while many countries in the West have begun distancing themselves from him, he still has a good friend in Cambodia to help prop up his image. As a former government leader, he should know that his friendship with Mr Hun Sen may not really be eternal when it comes to choosing between friendship and his own interests. Thaksin should remember that it was Mr Hun Sen who ratcheted up the nationalistic fever among Cambodians against the Thais in early 2003, using fabricated information about a Thai actress' claim that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.

Mr Hun Sen's criticism of the actress which was broadcast nationwide led to the torching of Thai private and government establishments including the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. The incident took place while Thaksin was serving as prime minister. It was seen by many as a political game played out by Mr Hun Sen at the cost of Cambodian-Thai friendship, to divert public attention from the political problems he was facing at home before a general election. Thaksin can never be sure this will not recur if he happens to be able to return to power in Thailand and Mr Hun Sen again runs into trouble at home and has his political career to save.

As most Thai and Cambodian people may have been aware, the Hun Sen-Thaksin relationship is only for their own private interests. Bangkok decided yesterday to recall its ambassador. Good diplomatic relations can be saved for later days when Cambodia has a leader with a genuine desire to make them work for the benefit of his people, not for himself or a favoured friend.

Talks dead in the water

Thailand pulls out of maritime negotiations / Agreements with Cambodia reviewed / Countries recall their ambassadors

6/11/2009
Thanida Tansubhapol, Pradit Ruangdit
Bangkok Post and DPA

The Thai government is striking where it believes Cambodia will feel it most by cancelling talks on the disputed maritime boundary in the Gulf of Thailand, a government source says.
The move comes in retaliation for Phnom Penh's decision to appoint ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser, the source said.
The government, with full backing from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, recalled Thai ambassador to Cambodia Prasas Prasasvinitchai and reviewed all agreements and cooperation with the neighbouring country.
It is the second time in seven years Thailand has recalled its ambassador from the Cambodian capital.
The previous time was in 2003 in protest against its embassy being burned by Cambodian protesters.
The move to freeze the maritime talks followed the announcement by Phnom Penh on Wednesday of the appointment of Thaksin as a personal adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and economic adviser to his administration.
"Any action taken by the Royal Thai Government is to make it known to the Royal Government of Cambodia the resentment of the Thai people," a Thai government statement said.
Thailand has made clear to Cambodia on "several occasions that bilateral relations between the two countries should take precedence over any personal relationship", the statement said.
The retaliation measures did not cover loans allocated to Cambodia, according to Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the foreign minister.
Thailand believed Hun Sen was banking on Thaksin's return to power to quickly convert the idea for the two countries to jointly develop the disputed maritime territory in the Gulf of Thailand, rich in natural gas and oil, into practice.
The main target of the Thai measures was to put the negotiations on the issue on hold to express Thailand's displeasure, the source said.
Mr Chavanond confirmed the memorandum of understanding to settle the dispute over the area was among agreements which would be reviewed.
"We have to assess reasons behind the Cambodian government's present position towards Thailand," he said.
"Is the problem now due to misunderstanding or personal interests?"
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An told a news conference in Phnom Penh Cambodian ambassador to Thailand You Aye would leave Bangkok in response to the Thai move to recall its envoy.
"When the Royal Thai Government resumes the mission of their ambassador to Cambodia, then the Cambodian government will decide to send back our ambassador to Bangkok to continue the mission as normal," Sok An said.
"This is a reciprocal action to the decision by Thailand," he said, adding it would not affect relations, "especially in relation to the people living along the two borders".
The spat took place a day before the Thai and Cambodian premiers will join other leaders of the Mekong subregion at a summit with Japan starting today. But the two have no plans to meet each other to mend fences.
Mr Abhisit said Cambodia's decision to appoint Thaksin was a "thumbing of its nose" at the Thai judicial process and this could hurt the feelings of Thai people.
The statement announcing the appointment of Thaksin, which was read on Cambodian state television on Wednesday, said charges against Thaksin were "politically motivated".
However, the government will make sure measures to respond to Cambodia will not have any adverse consequences on the relations between people of the two neighbouring countries, the prime minister said. Mr Abhisit said he believed Thai people and Cambodian people wanted to be good neighbours.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban reiterated that if there was proof Thaksin had settled in Cambodia, the government would take legal steps to have him extradited.
Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the appointment of Thaksin showed Cambodia had rejected Thailand's goodwill and its statement had amounted to an act of interference in Thailand's internal affairs.
A government official familiar with ties with Cambodia, however, was worried about the Thai measures in retaliation to Phnom Penh, which could pose a long-term strain.
"I think they are too harsh," said the official, who requested anonymity.
Former foreign minister Tej Bunnag said the situation would not be conducive to the two countries resolving long-standing border problems.