Thank you Supalak Ganjanakhundee. The world have learned long ago who have controlled the Thai Government--the ones who possess cluster bombs.
The two cases in question--the Thai-Khmer border talk and the deployment of cluster bombs--show the world that Abhisit is just a figurehead, to put it lightly. However, some may say he is just a puppet.
The whole situation is an embarrassment to Thailand and makes the "bully boy next door" more mature.
Now what is the King of Thailand going to do?
====================
BURNING ISSUE
Military should not be allowed to interfere in foreign policy
The latest statement from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in relation to posting Indonesian observers at the disputed area near Preah Vihear Temple clearly reflects that it is the military, not the government, that controls Thailand's foreign policy toward Cambodia.
On his weekly talk show, Abhisit said his government had taken the same stance as the military - to not allow Indonesian observers to be |stationed on the 4.6 square kilometres area near the temple, which |Thailand believes comes under its |sovereignty.Nobody should have a problem if the area in question really belongs to Thailand. If the area is truly under |Thai sovereignty, then it has the right to decide who does or does not enter it. In reality though, this piece of |land is being clamed by both |Thailand and Cambodia, and it |sits at the core of the conflict |between both neighbours.
The Thai military just raised the issue as a tactic to defer the observation. If the observers are kept out of the disputed area, they will have no knowledge of what really happens. This would make the Indonesia-proposed peace plan meaningless and allow the military to scrap it.
The government was wrong in believing that it has full mandate on the foreign policy involving Cambodia when it authorised the Foreign Ministry to make a deal with Indonesia and Cambodia in February, during which it was decided that observers would be stationed at Preah Vihear to monitor a permanent ceasefire.
Indonesia, as chair of Asean, has to lend a hand in resolving the conflict because Phnom Penh took the February border skirmish to the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council then asked Asean to implement a permanent ceasefire.
Initially, having unarmed Indonesian observers monitoring the border situation sounded fine. Many government officials even claimed |that this was a diplomatic victory to prevent aggressive acts from the |other side.
However, this sweet victory turned into a bitter pill a week later when the military disagreed with the idea of stationing observers, saying involving a third party was unnecessary.
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who represents the military rather than the government, previously tried to use diplomatic means to defer the deal saying he needed to discuss the terms of reference (TOR) with his Cambodian counterpart in the General Border Commission (GBC). However, when Indonesia called a meeting of the GBC and the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) in Bogor last week, the Thai military, in a |very undiplomatic response, simply refused to go.
The government pretended to honour the deal that it had already agreed upon and tried to explain that Thailand needed more time to study and negotiate the TOR, when in reality it already had more than a month to read and study the proposal.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya should have been the one taking care of negotiations with Indonesia and the TOR on observers. Dealing with other countries is his job, not that of the military. As the foreign minister of an elected government, Kasit has the authority to make deals with other countries and honour them.
The Army should only be consulted on technical matters, such as the terrain in the area and whether it is safe from landmines. If the case of foreign observers is a policy matter, then it's the government's call to make the decision.
Gen Songkitti also said an agreement the Foreign Ministry had reached with Cambodia and Indonesia to send Indonesian observers to the disputed border area "has nothing to do with the military".
The deal was made on Feb 22 when Indonesia, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, called the Asean Foreign Ministers meeting in Jakarta to resolve the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. The meeting ended with the two countries accepting an Indonesian observer team be stationed along their common border.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya did not directly respond to Gen Songkitti's comment but said Thailand is an open society and everybody is free to express their opinions.
Mr Kasit confirmed he held talks with Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha over the Thai-Cambodian issue almost every week.
But he could not make public details of the discussion because some issues have not been finalised.
"Although we [the ministry and the army] have different opinions, we can still sit and talk with each other," Mr Kasit said.
Regarding the deployment of Indonesian observers, a ministry source said the only inconclusive section of the terms of reference was the "areas of coverage". This is an important point because it determines where the Indonesian observers team will be stationed.
In fact, the Foreign Ministry and the army have both agreed that the Indonesian observers should not be posted in the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area.
The army also planned to inform the Cambodian military about the Thai stance regarding the Indonesian observers at the General Border Committee (GBC), which is led by defence ministers from Thailand and Cambodia.
But the army changed its mind and refused to join the GBC meeting when Cambodia, the host of the next GBC meeting, insisted the talks must be held in a third country, which is Indonesia.
This has led to the impasse and prompted Mr Kasit to offer to clear the issue during a meeting with Gen Prawit last Wednesday. Although Mr Kasit has decided to take over from the Defence Ministry the task of defining the roles of Indonesian observers and the locations along the Thai-Cambodian border where they would be posted, it could not handle the matter alone, the source said.
The Thai military just raised the issue as a tactic to defer the observation. If the observers are kept out of the disputed area, they will have no knowledge of what really happens. This would make the Indonesia-proposed peace plan meaningless and allow the military to scrap it.
The government was wrong in believing that it has full mandate on the foreign policy involving Cambodia when it authorised the Foreign Ministry to make a deal with Indonesia and Cambodia in February, during which it was decided that observers would be stationed at Preah Vihear to monitor a permanent ceasefire.
Indonesia, as chair of Asean, has to lend a hand in resolving the conflict because Phnom Penh took the February border skirmish to the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council then asked Asean to implement a permanent ceasefire.
Initially, having unarmed Indonesian observers monitoring the border situation sounded fine. Many government officials even claimed |that this was a diplomatic victory to prevent aggressive acts from the |other side.
However, this sweet victory turned into a bitter pill a week later when the military disagreed with the idea of stationing observers, saying involving a third party was unnecessary.
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who represents the military rather than the government, previously tried to use diplomatic means to defer the deal saying he needed to discuss the terms of reference (TOR) with his Cambodian counterpart in the General Border Commission (GBC). However, when Indonesia called a meeting of the GBC and the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) in Bogor last week, the Thai military, in a |very undiplomatic response, simply refused to go.
The government pretended to honour the deal that it had already agreed upon and tried to explain that Thailand needed more time to study and negotiate the TOR, when in reality it already had more than a month to read and study the proposal.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya should have been the one taking care of negotiations with Indonesia and the TOR on observers. Dealing with other countries is his job, not that of the military. As the foreign minister of an elected government, Kasit has the authority to make deals with other countries and honour them.
The Army should only be consulted on technical matters, such as the terrain in the area and whether it is safe from landmines. If the case of foreign observers is a policy matter, then it's the government's call to make the decision.
===============
Bangkok Post
Behind THE NEWS
Unrest stirs between ministry and army
- Published: 13/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
Signs of conflict between the Foreign Ministry and the Thai Army emerged when Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatara said last week that Indonesian observers would not be allowed to enter the disputed border area.
The deal was made on Feb 22 when Indonesia, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, called the Asean Foreign Ministers meeting in Jakarta to resolve the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. The meeting ended with the two countries accepting an Indonesian observer team be stationed along their common border.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya did not directly respond to Gen Songkitti's comment but said Thailand is an open society and everybody is free to express their opinions.
Mr Kasit confirmed he held talks with Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha over the Thai-Cambodian issue almost every week.
But he could not make public details of the discussion because some issues have not been finalised.
"Although we [the ministry and the army] have different opinions, we can still sit and talk with each other," Mr Kasit said.
Regarding the deployment of Indonesian observers, a ministry source said the only inconclusive section of the terms of reference was the "areas of coverage". This is an important point because it determines where the Indonesian observers team will be stationed.
In fact, the Foreign Ministry and the army have both agreed that the Indonesian observers should not be posted in the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area.
The army also planned to inform the Cambodian military about the Thai stance regarding the Indonesian observers at the General Border Committee (GBC), which is led by defence ministers from Thailand and Cambodia.
But the army changed its mind and refused to join the GBC meeting when Cambodia, the host of the next GBC meeting, insisted the talks must be held in a third country, which is Indonesia.
This has led to the impasse and prompted Mr Kasit to offer to clear the issue during a meeting with Gen Prawit last Wednesday. Although Mr Kasit has decided to take over from the Defence Ministry the task of defining the roles of Indonesian observers and the locations along the Thai-Cambodian border where they would be posted, it could not handle the matter alone, the source said.
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