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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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