As the spat between Thailand and Cambodia reaches a stalemate, Alan Dawson looks behind the scenes
18/07/2011
Bangkok Post
US embassies around the region are closely following the Thailand-Cambodia confrontation, and believe Prime Minister Hun Sen touched off the conflict when he saw political gain in the waning days of the pro-Thaksin governments in late 2008.
Confidential US diplomatic cables flying between Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Jakarta and Washington, dated from 2008 to 2010, provide no evidence for the popular view that Hun Sen was goading Thailand to help the political fortunes of his friend, ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The fresh views of the conflict from the US State Department come as the International Court of Justice ruled Monday on Cambodia’s demand for an order forcing Thailand to withdraw all troops from the disputed territory around Preah Vihear temple. The court directed both countries to withdraw their troops from the disputed area.
Some 75 US diplomatic cables provided to the Bangkok Post by Wikileaks report that Phnom Penh put increasing military pressure and threats on Thailand as the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrated against the Cambodian policies of the Thaksin-backed governments in 2008.
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