Saturday, April 3, 2010

Thai activists oppose Cambodian PM presence at Mekong Summit in Thailand

PHETCHABURI, April 3 (TNA) -- More than 200 Thai nationalist activists Saturday issued a statement opposing the participation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in the Mekong River Commission (MRC) summit at Hua Hin, charging that he is an “enemy of Thailand."

Led by Veera Somkwamkid, the radical nationalist activists said in a statement to be given to the MRC secretariat that they opposed the planned visit by Mr Hun Sen who is scheduled to arrive at Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province Saturday evening.

Prime Minister Hun Sen will attend the first two-day MRC summit which opens Sunday.

Charging Mr Hun Sen with being an “enemy of Thailand”, the activists denounced the Khmer government leader of having overly close relations with fugitive, ousted former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, interfering in the Thai judicial system as well as violating Thailand’s sovereignty by “trying to seize Thailand’s territory along the common border as well as those in the Gulf of Thailand” by sharing benefits from oil and natural gas deposits in the Gulf with Mr Thaksin.

The statement, submitted to Chavanont Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Thai foreign affairs minister, further said that the activists do not welcome "the enemy of Thailand who has no honour."

After reading the statement, Mr Veera charged that Cambodian military units had allegedly intruded into Thai territory by posting boundary markers deep inside this country and he and his colleagues would pull them out as activists would “not lose even an inch of territory to Cambodia."

Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya told journalists that the activists could express their displeasure against the Cambodian government leader as they wished, but that it would not be discussed during the MRC summit.

Mr Kasit said he would find other channel to inform the Phnom Penh government. (TNA)

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