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Asean told to admit Khmers



July 9th, Bangkok Post
Asean told to admit Khmers

Burma, Laos want expansion plans to proceed despite 'coup'

Bangkok Post and AFP


The Association of Southeast Asian Nations should proceed with plans to 
expand its membership despite the turmoil in Cambodia, the ambassadors 
of Burma and Laos argued yesterday.

The Laotian and Burmese positions will complicate the Asean foreign 
ministers' decision on whether to admit Cambodia during their annual 
meeting on July 24.

Burma and Laos are scheduled for admission at the same time. The foreign 
ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow 
"to review the situation in all its aspects".

Burma's Ambassador to Thailand, U Hla Maung, said: "Cambodia is another 
country. The Cambodian problem is a Cambodian problem."

He said Burma would stand by the principle of non-intervention.

The ambassador of Laos, Bounkeut Sangsomsak, reiterated Vientiane's 
support for Asean's decision to admit Burma, Cambodia and Laos later 
this month.

He cited the Jakarta declaration of December 1996, which called for the 
simultaneous admittance of the three, and the May 31 decision in Kuala 
Lumpur for the formal induction to be made over the next two weeks.

"We support the Jakarta Declaration and the May 31 decision. We would 
like the three countries to be admitted together and hope [Asean] will 
abide by the Jakarta Declaration," he said.

Vientiane looked forward to the results of the July 10 meeting in Kuala 
Lumpur, he added.

Cambodia's ambassador to Thailand, Roland Eng, simply said: "It's up to 
Asean".

Asean's initial response to the crisis in Cambodia was to issue a 
statement calling for an "immediate ceasefire" and for co-premiers 
Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen to "resolve their differences 
peacefully" and abide by the terms of the Paris Peace accords.

It expressed dismay and deep regret at the "unfortunate turn of events 
in Cambodia, resulting in the loss of innocent lives both of Cambodian 
citizens and foreigners."

"The Cambodian people have suffered from conflict for the past two 
decades. It will be tragic for the conflict to reignite in a country 
that has long suffered from war".

Despite the statement, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim 
yesterday instructed the Malaysian foreign ministry to study the 
possibility of a change in Asean's stance on admitting Cambodia into the 
regional grouping.

"We are asking our foreign ministry to discuss with the other Asean 
foreign ministries the possibility of a change," Anwar was quoted as 
saying by Bernama news agency.

Malaysia's parliamentary opposition chief went further, urging 
postponement of Cambodia's membership.

"What is happening in Cambodia is a major setback to the United Nations 
and Asean in their international diplomacy and peace-making efforts," 
said Lim Kit Siang, secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party.

The Singapore Straits Times reflected a similar sentiment.

"Evidently, Cambodia is not quite ready [to join Asean] as the fighting 
in Phnom Penh attests," the newspaper, known for taking the Singapore 
government's line on most issues, said in an editorial entitled 
"Cambodia can wait."

The Asean statement was interpreted as a warning to Cambodia's Second 
Prime Minister Hun Sen that he had gone too far in seeking to oust rival 
First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

The warning was couched in Asean's usual diplomatic language, but the 
meaning was clear. It mentioned both prime ministers by name and called 
on them to resolve their differences peacefully.

"We can't just accept this as a fait accompli," AFP quoted a senior 
Asean official as saying. Hanoi, which was instrumental in Hun Sen's 
rise to power, reluctantly went along with the Asean statement, the 
agency said.

But Vietnam signalled its reservations by announcing, without 
explanation, that it would send Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Khoan to 
tomorrow's meeting rather than Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam.

Mr Hun Sen was part of the government set up in Phnom Penh after 
invading Vietnamese troops ousted the Khmer Rouge in January 1979.

Prince Ranariddh's royalists won the UN-brokered elections in 1993, but 
the prince agreed to share power with Mr Hun Sen and his 
formerly-communist Cambodian People's Party (CPP) which had a firm grip 
on the country's administrative apparatus.

Because of concerns over Cambodia's uneasy coalition, Asean specifically 
sought and obtained assurances that the co-premiers would soft-pedal 
their differences and conduct themselves with restraint in the lead-up 
to Asean admission.

"Instead, Hun Sen slapped Asean in the face," a regional diplomat said.

The slap may have stiffened Asean's resolve, which is bound by rules of 
consensus for any decisions.

But there remains a question mark over Vietnam's position in the foreign 
ministers' meeting as it must strike a balance between the wishes of the 
majority and its friendship with Hun Sen.

Mr Hun Sen was not the only target of Asean criticism. Asean placed the 
blame for the political tensions on Prince Ranariddh as well.

"Clearly they are sending a message that an agreement has to be reached 
between Hun Sen and Prince Ranariddh," analyst John Funston at the 
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore said.

"Asean recognises that the two individuals are the key to the solution 
of the conflict," according to Bunn Nagara, chairman of the Kuala 
Lumpur-based independent Geopolicy Research think-tank.

Despite the statement, Mr Hun Sen, speaking from Phnom Penh, said the 
international community should keep out of Cambodia's internal affairs.

"I appeal to the international community to give their understanding to 
Cambodia and please not interfere in Cambodia's internal affairs," Mr 
Hun Sen said in a radio and television address the day after his forces 
claimed victory in Phnom Penh.

"Let Cambodians solve their own problems," he said in an apparent bid to 
forestall international condemnation for effectively ousting the absent 
Prince Ranariddh from his position as first prime minister.

Mr Hun Sen said the world could either recognise the government as it 
exists as of yesterday or choose Prince Ranariddh and the outlawed Khmer 
Rouge guerrilla faction.

"Now it is the choice of the international community whether to take 
Ranariddh and the Khmer Rouge or take the current government," he said.

But Prince Ranariddh warned in Paris yesterday that the current conflict 
in his country could blow up into a new civil war if Mr Hun Sen refused 
to negotiate his return.

"I am willing to see Hun Sen solve this problem in an existing legal 
framework, but if we cannot, there would be, alas, a civil war in my 
poor country," he said.

Prince Ranariddh said he intends to return to Cambodia to lead a 
resistance movement to the "coup d'etat" launched by Mr Hun Sen.

"There needs to be a resistance movement within the country and the 
leader of the resistance has to be there," he declared during his first 
public appearance since fleeing Cambodia on Friday.

He claimed that a resistance movement was being organised in western 
Cambodia and that he was in direct telephone contact with his generals.

Prince Ranariddh said he intends to travel to Thailand soon but stressed 
that his return to Cambodia would be "influenced by the attitude of 
Thailand, which appears to have adopted a neutral stance."


"THERE WILL BE NO REAL DEMOCRACY IF WE CAN'T GURANTEE THE RIGHTS OF THE 
MINORITY ETHNIC PEOPLE.  ONLY UNDERSTANDING THEIR SUFFERING AND HELPING 
THEM TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHTS WILL ASSIST PREVENTING FROM THE 
DISINTEGRATION AND THE SESESSION."  "WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THEIR 
STRENGTH, WE CAN'T TOPPLE THE SLORC AND BURMA WILL NEVER BE IN PEACE."


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