Recent actions of Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen, inviting former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra to live in Cambodia and take a post as the Economic Advisor– on the eve of a regional meeting of ASEAN at that!– have now come to a very tense head. Thaksin, who initially declined the offer, arrived in Cambodia.
The average Cambodian is largely ambivalent to the storm of fury across the border. Generally speaking, an enemy of Thailand is a friend of theirs. But this matter isn’t to be taken lightly. Here’s what Details Are Sketchy has to say:
… Thaksin’s current visit to Cambodia is not merely some political stunt designed to enrage the Thai establishment — although it is certainly that — but part of a larger strategy aimed at regime change in Thailand. It’s hard to underestimate the stakes in such a gamble. The danger of war, say some analysts, has never been greater.
It is impeccable timing to grab the headlines. Obama is jumping in the fray for influence in the East Asia region and arrives tomorrow for meetings with the leaders of its powerhouse nations.