Cambodia firm on Thaksin job

Relations between Thailand and Cambodia, plunged to a new low late last year when Phnom Penh appointed the fugitive billionaire Thaksin (above) as an economics guru. -- PHOTO: Reuters


Jan 11, 2010
AFP


PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA refused on Monday to revoke the appointment of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an adviser and said it was up to Bangkok to resolve the diplomatic row between the two countries.

Relations between Thailand and Cambodia, which have fought a string of deadly gunbattles on their border, plunged to a new low late last year when Phnom Penh appointed the fugitive billionaire Thaksin as an economics guru.

Both recalled their ambassadors in November and expelled senior diplomats, while diplomatic tensions soared further when Phnom Penh refused to extradite Thaksin during his first visit to Cambodia.

'It (the appointment of Thaksin) is the sovereign right of Cambodia. Thailand has no right to interfere in this issue,' Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told AFP in an interview. 'The appointment was made by the king's royal decree, we cannot revoke as (Thai Foreign Minister) Kasit Piromya has demanded.'

'It is not a childish game.'

Thailand's Kasit said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Monday that the two countries could not normalise relations until Cambodia revoked Thaksin's appointment.