Abhisit and Hun Sen in Hua Hin

Bangkok Dan posts an excellent summary of the tensions between Abhisit and Hun Sen at the ASEAN conference currently in session in Hua Hin. His conclusion seems to be that hardened veteran Hun Sen will walk all over the non-elected newbie Abhisit. The conference, by the way, isn't going very well with 3 autombile accidents involving 3 of the international participants, the late arrival of 5 countries, and speeches cancelled at the last moment. Not to mention that all the human rights NGOs and environmental groups have been snubbed and many have refused to join the charade.

Headaches at Hua Hin’s Asean gathering. A Thaksin rift mars the Asean solidarity. The host, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, cancels a press conference mid-summit and no bilateral meeting with Cambodia. Well, ignoring the simple fact that he had been installed by a de facto judicial coup – a root of Thailand’s current problems – and that his power is not necessarily based on strictly democratic principles, the Thai premier had taken the freedom to lecture his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen about the dos and don’ts of democratic principles, regional solidarity and moral leadership.

The issue at stake is simple: Hun Sen thinks that not only his good “eternal friend” Thaksin Shinawatra is a victim of “unfair Thai politics.” Hun Sen sees himself a a victim of Thailand. Everybody in the world knows, we were recently reminded by his ambassador to Thailand, that the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia. And as the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Thaksin will always be welcome in Hun Sen’s Cambodia. An extradition treaty does not apply to the political offender Thaksin.

Because this here, Hun Sen seems to imply, is the false world of Thai politics where neither democratic principles nor brotherly solidarity nor moral leadership rule – and Hun Sen has lots of unfinished business with Thailand, just to mention the in the Khmer psyche still not forgotten quiet “humanitarian” alliance between Thailand and the Khmer Rouge. When Abhisit was enjoying cozy British life, Hun Sen was hardened by war. The then Vietnamese-backed, world’s youngest prime minister since fought many other silent wars with Thailand. The latest éclats are nothing out of the ordinary.