Hun Sen winning at home and abroad with border row

No matter who holds the position of foreign minister, whether he is a normal politician from Chiang Mai or former career diplomat, all have failed equally to prevent bloodshed at the border.

The Thai military sacrificed the life of a soldier and four others injured in a border skirmish with Cambodia in October under Somchai's government. The military again lost two soldiers in the latest clash with Cambodia on April 3 in the same area. This time the Thai government is run by the elite's favourite choice, Abhisit. It has been proved that many kinds of Thai leaders have no ability to deal with Cambodian strongman Hun Sen. He can do whatever he wants with the border and related matters. Neither simple politician Somchai nor international sophisticate Abhisit is Hun Sen's match.

The diplomatic skills of a foreign minister do not help, either. Hun Sen offered an ultimatum about the use of force against Thai troops in the disputed area of Preah Vihear shortly after then foreign minister Sompong Amornvivat paid a courtesy call on him in October.

The ultimatum really was an ultimatum. Hun Sen always proves true to his word. Cambodian troops opened fire on their Thai counterparts as they appeared in their sights.

Last week, seasoned diplomat Kasit Piromya, the current foreign minister who claimed he has known Hun Sen for twenty years, fell into the same situation as simple politician from Chiang Mai Sompong, who knew nothing about Cambodia when he took office.

Hun Sen opened the game with a verbal attack on Kasit on March 31, recalling the Thai foreign minister's defamatory words against him. The Cambodian prime minister's speech in Sihanoukville also made clear he wanted to use force to secure the border.

Hun Sen's threats were made on the same day Kasit was concentrating on a reply to his personal enemy, Thaksin Shinawatra. While Kasit was busy with a press conference and interviews paying out on Thaksin, Hun Sen was preparing his troops for the border conflict.

Kasit's letter of apology to Hun Sen next day was useless. It simply showed the Thai foreign minister who, although older than the Cambodian prime minister, is a child who never knows how to deal with a senior. The letter failed to address Hun Sen's real intention of using force at the border. In his remarks to the Democrat Party, Kasit even warned Hun Sen of sheltering Thaksin rather than mentioning the border threat.

Last Friday's rounds of shooting could not be regarded simply as 'a misunderstanding' as Prime Minister Abhisit tried to explain. The border skirmish was to serve Hun Sen's purpose of domestic political gain and border security.

For political gain, the military conflict with Thailand would show voters that Hun Sen is the only leader who can save Cambodian sovereignty. It also gained momentum for the Cambodian side in negotiations over the boundary demarcation with Thailand.

The Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary is negotiating to demarcate the boundary areas near the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear.

The joint commission made significant progress in its latest meeting in Phnom Penh on April 6-7 with an agreement on the title of a security unit to take care of the disputed area, before the completion of demarcation.

However, Phnom Penh knows such progress is a minor step in the whole process of boundary demarcation. Hun Sen would maintain his force at the border to back up his fighting-while-talking tactic to achieve his goal. The previous clash will not be the last one.

Diplomacy is an essential way to secure peace. This government, if it really has more sophisticated diplomatic skills than the previous one, should use them to prevent further bloodshed at the border.