Surapong accused of not helping country
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The opposition Democrat Party yesterday accused Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul of failing to protect Thailand's interests in the border dispute with Cambodia.
Surapong dismissed the accusation as a Democrat attempt to distort facts for political benefit.
“I call on the opposition to stop playing politics. They should avoid causing damage to the country by playing political games,” he said.
Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalsut said the foreign minister failed to protest when Unesco’s International Coordinating Committee (ICC) last Wednesday inspected the ancient Preah Vihear Temple on the border between the two countries.
Both Thailand and Cambodia claim sovereignty over a 4.6-square-kilometre area next to Preah Vihear – known as Phra Wihan in Thai – which the World Court said in 1962 belonged to Cambodia.
Chavanond said the Cabinet in December 2008 resolved to reserve Thailand’s right for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to notify the country before entering the area claimed by Thailand to examine the temple.
He said Unesco was aware of the Cabinet resolution, as it was informed by Thailand’s ambassador to France.
According to the Democrat spokesman, this government failed to send any representative to join the ICC examination of the Preah Vihear compound. “Thailand this time failed to abide by our own order and allowed them to pass through our territory easily,” he said.
Chavanond added that it was likely that Cambodia would try to take advantage of the situation when it came to the border dispute between the two countries.
“My question is whether Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul took part in the examination himself or sent any representative. Surapong obviously failed to follow the Cabinet resolution,” Chavanond said.
Chavanond, serving as secretary to Surapong’s immediate predecessor Kasit Piromya, claimed that some officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry – increasingly discontent with the current minister’s actions – were regularly supplying Chavanond with information about what Surapong did.
“I do not call for anything more than abiding by the Cabinet resolution to protect our sovereignty,” Chavanond said. “I believe [Cambodian Prime Minister] Hun Sen loves this government the most. This government has allowed him to do whatever he likes more than any other government over the past 10 years.”
Surapong yesterday said that Unesco and Cambodia invited Thailand to join the ICC examination tour but that Thailand turned it down. He added that the opposition should not try to politicise the matter.
Regarding Cambodia’s recent shooting of a Thai Navy helicopter in a border area of Trat province, Surapong said he disagreed with a Democrat call for him to protest to Cambodia formally about the incident, in which there were no injuries. He said Cambodia had expressed regret and that the incident was caused by a misunderstanding.
“This matter should be allowed to end so that it will not lead to further rift,” he said.
The foreign minister was speaking in the Burmese capital Naypyidaw while accompanying Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on an official trip.
