Fugitive Ex-Thai Premier Thaksin Arrives in Cambodia

Nov. 10 - Fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in neighboring Cambodia on a visit that threatens to fuel a row between the two and cloud weekend talks between regional leaders and U.S. President Barack Obama.

Thaksin, ousted in a 2006 coup, is visiting Phnom Penh in his capacity as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s economic adviser. That appointment, made last week, prompted Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to downgrade diplomatic ties and review business deals with its Southeast Asian neighbor.

Abhisit’s actions were an “uncivilized overreaction,” Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said today in a telephone interview. “Thaksin doesn’t need Cambodia as a springboard for politics. He can be heard in Bangkok, right in the heart of the city, every day with modern technology.”

This weekend’s meeting in Singapore will be the first between a U.S. president and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Abhisit is set to co-chair the gathering with Obama on Nov. 15, with Hun Sen also in attendance.

Thaksin is staying in a “special residence” and will address an economic seminar on Nov. 12, Phay Siphan said. The former Thai leader is not permitted to conduct political campaigns from Cambodia, he said.

Deteriorating Relations

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since July 2008, when a Thai court ordered a pro-Thaksin government to withdraw support for Cambodia’s bid to list a temple near a disputed border as a United Nations World Heritage site. Abhisit, opposition leader at the time, opposed Cambodia’s effort.

Gun battles in the area since then have killed at least six soldiers. In September, protesters in the anti-Thaksin People’s Alliance for Democracy tried to expel Cambodians from land near the temple.

Thailand said last week it would end a 2001 agreement with Cambodia that sought to reconcile 10,422 square miles (26,992 square kilometers) of disputed waters. Cambodia imported more goods from its neighbor last year than any other country. Bilateral trade reached $2.13 billion, with Thai exports such as sugar, cement and oil accounting for 96 percent of the total, according to Thailand’s Commerce Ministry.

Thaksin accused Abhisit of “igniting nationalism,” according to comments posted on his Web site.

‘Stop Finding Scapegoats’

“It’s time to stop finding scapegoats and start solving the nation’s problems,” said Thaksin, who lives in Dubai after fleeing a two-year prison sentence for abuse of power last year.

He has orchestrated anti-government protests from abroad, including demonstrations in April that turned violent and led to the cancellation of a regional summit. Cambodia has rejected extradition proceedings because it considers the charges against him to be politically motivated.

“As Thaksin is there, the officials here will proceed by sending the letter” to the Cambodian government requesting extradition, Abhisit told reporters in Bangkok. Cambodia should not question Thailand’s justice system, he added.

The military accused Thaksin of rampant corruption and undermining the monarchy when they ousted him. Thaksin or his allies have won Thailand’s past four elections.

Since the coup, courts disbanded two parties linked to him, including the winner of the 2007 election, paving the way for Abhisit to form a coalition government. The Thaksin-linked Puea Thai party remains the largest in parliament.

‘Nationalistic’

“We are as nationalistic as anyone but we also love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves,” Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, 77, Puea Thai’s leader, told reporters in Bangkok today. “Therefore we want to create a new atmosphere.”

Chavalit, a former army chief and prime minister, made an Oct. 21 visit to Cambodia, shortly before Hun Sen offered Thaksin refuge in the country.

“Thais are good at fighting among themselves, but like all other people, once you have outside intervention you close ranks,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute for Strategic and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. “Thaksin, siding with an outside force, may see this boomerang on him.”

The People’s Alliance for Democracy today said it will hold an anti-Thaksin rally on Nov. 15 in Bangkok.

“We want to condemn Thaksin and show that we love the nation,” spokesman Parnthep Pourpongpan said. “We have a very high-quality justice system in Thailand, and we can’t accept that Cambodia disrespects it.”