Published on December 19, 2005

Thailand will commemorate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Cambodia and Laos today, reaffirming cooperation to bolster development after a troubled period of confrontation during the Cold War.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon exchanged congratulatory statements with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, and Lao Prime Minister Bounnhang Vorachit and Foreign Minister Somsavat Lengsavad.

Thailand established diplomatic ties with the two countries on December 19, 1950, after Cambodia and Laos achieved independence from French colonial rule.

Thai relations with the two countries have been up and down over the past five decades due to political changes in the Indochinese states.

Relations with Cambodia soured after Vietnam invaded Phnom Penh and occupied the country in the 1980s, while ties with Laos hit a low point in 1987 and 1988 during a military clash over the border.

Ties with Cambodia and Laos improved dramatically after the Cold War, when Thailand announced its plan to turn “war zone Indochina into a trade zone” in 1988.

A massive amount of Thai investment was poured into the east bank of the Mekong River, before a slowdown of economic activities following the 1997 financial crisis.

Thailand currently has no major political conflicts with either country and considers itself to be a regional hub for development aimed at raising the standard of living in other, less advanced economies.

A number of development schemes, such as the Greater Mekong Sub-region and the Ayeyawaddy-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy were created to boost economic activities between the countries. Thaksin’s government has conducted joint cabinet meetings with the two countries separately over the past two years to form closer ties.

Under these schemes and bilateral frameworks, Thailand has extended many forms of assistance to both Cambodia and Laos, including soft loans to renovate and build land transport routes in order to facilitate trade and tourism.

These schemes have not only served to better bilateral relations but have also contributed to regional development and beyond, Thaksin said in his congratulatory letter to Hun Sen.

Thailand, Cambodia and Laos are part of a three-party cooperation scheme called the “Emerald Triangle Cooperation”, which aims to develop provinces in the border areas of the three countries.

The countries agreed more than two years ago to begin cooperation in the tourism sector, but none of the projects have materialised thus far.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

Post your comment to this story here