Cambodia angered at Thailand's Red Shirt accusations

October 15, 2010
ABC Radio Australia

A rift between Cambodia and Thailand has worsened after Thai security officials accused Cambodia of allowing 11 anti-government Red Shirts to receive three weeks of training in Siem Reap to assassinate politicians.

The Thai Department of Special Investigation says the men confessed to the training after they were picked up in the northern province of Chiang Mai this month. The accusation has angered the Cambodian Government, which has accused its neighbour of playing dirty games and concocting evidence

Presenter: Linda LoPresti

Speakers: Phay Siphan, spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers; David Chandler, Emeritus Professor of History at Monash University

Listen: Windows Media

SIPHAN: This accusation is baseless and unprofessional. The two countries we do have an exchange of diplomats already, we have a diplomatic channel that is the proper channel that should, modern governments should use that. So to escalate publicly is an insult, it's a groundless accusation. The constitution doesn't allow anyone to use Cambodian territory as a springboard to get anyone, and Cambodia commit internationally not to prop up, I mean we are against terrorists. So the accusation very uncivilized it's sabotage I mean again that Cambodia try to build trust with Thailand, especially with the last two meetings between Samdech Hun Sen Cambodian Prime Minister and His excellency Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai Prime minister.

LOPRESTI: This latest spat threatens to reverse a recent thaw in relations, which have been strained since a long-running dispute over a border temple flared in 2008. So where to from here? To help answer that question, I'm joined by one of the world's foremost western scholars of Cambodia, David Chandler, who's currently Emeritus Professor of History at Monash University.

David Chandler Hun Sen denies that Cambodia would allow foreigners to setup training camps on its territory. Could it be occurring without his knowledge?
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