By Mick Elmore and Robert Carmichael
DPA
Bangkok/Phnom Penh – In the absence of credible information on why Thai and Cambodian forces started fighting along a disputed stretch of the border last week, the rumour mills are working overtime, but the message seems aimed at domestic audiences.
Since Friday, at least 14 people have been killed and more than 50 injured in on-and-off clashes near several disputed temples.
One question is the timing. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva plans to dissolve parliament in early May and call an election, fuelling speculation that some political faction might try to gain from the conflict. Another is that the military wants to control the poll’s outcome and the fighting is their way to be in charge. And those are just the least outlandish takes on the situation from Bangkok.
Lawmaker and political observer Kraisak Chohoven said he believes motives other than election considerations had to be behind the conflict. But as so often in recent years, Thai domestic politics muddy any examination of the border strife.
The close relationship between former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, for example, has been a thorn in the side of the current government in Bangkok.
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