Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Wednesday urged former PM Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to review his role after he had caused a diplomatic spat between Cambodia and Thailand.
“I thought he returned to politics to bring about reconciliation. But just one trip abroad caused problems to the two countries and caused an hostile atmosphere,” Abhisit said.
“He should review his role. If he wants to work in politics, he should give priority to national order, interest and the honour of the country.”

Thailand is turning the heat on fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra by asking fellow Asean members and others in the intentional community to assist the government’s determination to capture the former premier.
Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said Tuesday besides Asean countries, the Interpol (International Police) and others in the international community have been asked to keep a look out for Thaksin’s whereabouts and to arrest him immediately and turn him over to the Thai authorities.
Panitan said all the documents along with evidence have been gathered and are ready to be submitted to the Cambodian authorities so they can arrest Thaksin.

BANGKOK: — The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) would indefinitely suspend the plan for sister city exchange with Cambodia’s Phnom Pen City, Bangkok Governor revealed Tuesday.

MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra insisted that this had nothing to do with the Thai government’s conflict with Cambodia regarding the extradition or the overlapping Thai-Cambodian maritime boundary demarcation.

He said it was because he could not find time to travel to Cambodia yet and the contract for sister city exchanges was still in process of drafting.

It merely took two strokes for General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to win the heart of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra as well as to destroy him. His first move was to travel to Phnom Penh and tell Prime Minister Hun Sen to take Thaksin on as an adviser, and his second move was to express support for Pattani becoming an independent state.

And Chavalit is initiating all his moves from his seat as adviser to the opposition Pheu Thai Party.

He clearly isn’t worried about the heavy attacks he is undergoing for propping up Thaksin’s ghost and getting him a job that was endorsed by the Cambodian king. Nor is he worried about the frowns he is getting for having suggested the inconceivable idea of Pattani becoming an independent state.

Still, at least Thaksin appreciates the fact that Chavalit has put his own head on the block for opening the country’s door to an enemy. As for Thaksin, getting the post in Cambodia is great – it gives him a perfect platform to cause further political agitation in Thailand. Operations from Dubai were obviously not as effective due to the geographical distance and Thaksin will find it much easier to reclaim his power if he is based in the neighbouring country.

As for Hun Sen, he wants to play along and drive the wedge of division even deeper in Thai society. After all, he wants to do what no other Cambodian leader has done so far – stand up against big brother Thailand. Hun Sen has already outsmarted Thais by getting the Preah Vihear Temple inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Plus, he refuses to budge an inch in the border conflict and his troops are ready for combat.

However, if one were to stand back and study the situation, one would realise that Chavalit has done perhaps the best and the worst thing. For instance, Thaksin’s credibility seems to have dropped to the lowest, while Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is gaining popularity. In the meantime, the Pheu Thai Party and the red shirts are in disarray because they know that the longer the conflict with Cambodia drags out the more votes the party will lose.

This is because nothing brings Thais together more than a conflict with a neighbour, particularly Cambodia, a former vassal of Thailand.

Thais will certainly be united in expressing their dissent against Cambodia in general and against Thaksin in particular.

Abhisit made the right move by recalling our ambassador from Phnom Penh, and as expected, Cambodia responded by recalling its own envoy to Bangkok and some staff. The Foreign Ministry then followed up by scrapping a maritime memorandum of understanding and subjecting several other pacts to close review. As the two country’s relations sink even further, the government is re-examining all the past policy practices. Still, the situation doesn’t look bad enough for an all-out battle.

It did not take Chavalit too long to create this political mess. Though people have laughed at him from time to time, his talents in political intrigue should never be underestimated.

As we all know, Chavalit is still close to General Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council. So, could it be possible that Chavalit has served as a Trojan Horse or is he playing the part of the clever Brahmin Vassakara who served King Ajatashatru in ancient India?

A contemporary of Buddha, King Ajatashatru had the insatiable desire of conquering other kingdoms, especially that of the unbeatable warrior race, the Vajians. Since he was not very sure about the strength of the Vajians, he sent his chief minister Vassakara to seek advice from the Buddha. After all, Ajatashatru wanted to use the Buddha’s ability to predict the future to gain victory.

When Buddha realised the real reason behind Vassakara’s visit, he turned to his chief disciple Ananda and asked him if the Vajians were powerful and had a commendably noble democratic confederacy. Ananda replied in the affirmative. The Buddha then inquired if the Vajians strictly followed the rules of dharma so they could continue flourishing. Ananda once again said “yes”.

Then Buddha declared: “As long as they follow what I taught them earlier in Vasali, they will not be defeated.”

After hearing this, the shrewd minister realised that the Vajians could never be defeated on the battlefield, so instead plotted to take them down through disunity.

So he went back to the court and told King Ajatashatru to have him publicly whipped and exiled for resisting royal orders and betraying the kingdom. Vassakara explained that this would help him enter the Vajian kingdom to work as a spy and sow the seeds of disunity.

Sure enough, three years later the Vajian king’s children were disunited and King Ajatashatru rode in to annexe the state.

Looking back on history, one can’t help but wonder if Chavalit is going to turn out to be the Vassakara of modern times, and if indeed he is the master of all political intrigue.

Thakin’s arrival in Cambodia crushes hope of late U-turn; visit coincides with rumour of ‘war room’ in Phnom Penn

Yesterday was the first time Thaksin Shinawatra had come so close to Thailand since he fled the country about a year or so ago. He landed in Phnom Penh at the controversial invitation of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Yet the hero’s welcome, the embraces and the elaborate “family” photograph he took with the Cambodian elite may have pushed several issues well past the point of no return.

Already suffering bilateral relations were in even worse shape yesterday as Thaksin and Hun Sen had a celebratory dinner and the Cabinet in Thailand resolved to tear up the memorandum of understanding on overlapping maritime claims.
Earlier speculation that Thaksin might decide to make a last-minute U-turn due to political concerns from his main political backers in Thailand was quelled by the presence of his brother-in-law, former PM Somchai Wongsawat, and Somchai’s wife Yaowapa in Phnom Penh.

In one of the most tantalising political photos ever taken, Somchai and Yaowapa were seen posing with Hun Sen, his wife and their family members. Hun Sen, shrugging off the fast-deteriorating ties with the Abhisit government, obviously wants everyone to know that Thaksin is the Thai political horse he is betting upon.
Thaksin’s private jet landed at Phnom Penh International Airport in the morning and he was escorted to the capital by a convoy of cars under tight security. He suddenly became a media star, with local and foreign reporters scrambling to cover every detail of the visit, which was also featured on television news.

“Thaksin is here for the economy and not activities related to politics. It is an honour for Cambodia’s economic sector and we hope that Cambodians nationwide welcome him warmly,” Cambodian cabinet spokesman Phay Siphan said.
However, Thaksin’s Pheu Thai Party was left suffering from a political backlash at home, so much so that some party members wished he would just thank Hun Sen for the invitation and return to his exile as far away and as soon as possible.

With Hun Sen and Cambodia as a whole being dragged into Thai politics – leaving Thaksin’s supporters seething and Hun Sen’s supporters worried – the already slim chances of reconciliation have become even slimmer.
Cambodian state television, showing Thaksin and Hun Sen embracing, reported that the Cambodian leader had pronounced him an “eternal friend” and “the best adviser with economic leadership”. In return, Thaksin reportedly thanked Hun Sen for offering him the post of an adviser, adding that “nothing could compare” to his excitement over the new job.

Thaksin also plans to visit the famous Angkor Wat temple during his trip, TV reports said.
Hun Sen was also seen hugging Somchai and Yaowapa, whose presence in Phnom Penh coincided with earlier rumours that Thaksin’s innermost circle was setting up a “war room” in the Cambodian capital amid concerns that the Hun Sen saga was threatening Thaksin’s popularity back home.

There was also the possible complication of a Thai extradition request, although Hun Sen has unequivocally said such a demand from Bangkok would be rejected.
Even before landing in Phnom Penh, Thaksin’s future in Thailand looked particularly grim after Times Online published an interview quoting him as calling for a reform in the institution of monarchy. Thaksin strongly denied having criticised the monarchy, but his defiant touchdown in Cambodia is unlikely to help his political predicament.

>From his Phnom Penh sanctuary, Thaksin again last night insisted on his loyalty to the Thai monarch and his love for the country. He attacked the Democrats for taking advantage of the “distorted” Times Online report and using it to smear him.
Thaksin said he had “made a mistake” in responding to a question posed by the British journalist about the succession of the throne, adding that he had simply thought of the rule of succession in general, without thinking of His Majesty’s health.

“I want to bang my head against the floor. I forgot that His Majesty was in hospital,” he said during a broadcast from Cambodia. “I pray for the King to recover quickly from his illness and remain the guiding light for Thai people for a long time to come.”

He said on the Internet-based ThaksinLive radio and People’s TV that he had complained in writing to The Times for misinterpreting what he had said and making the headline and lead paragraph in the article offensive to the Thai people. He said he expected the newspaper to rectify the report in a day or two.
As a new economic adviser to the Cambodian government, Thaksin said he would be lecturing Cambodian cabinet members and senior bureaucrats about how to reduce the country’s poverty tomorrow.

“I won’t come to this country too often. I am afraid the [Thai] government will have no time to work,” he said.
But coming just once might be enough to damage many things beyond repair, some observers believe.