NACC ruling a relief, but Hun Sen happy to be a headache

But he is still left with the uphill task of mending sour relations with Cambodia.

Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kajornprasart, Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Phataraprasit and Information and Technology Minister Ranongruk Suwunchwee, who joined Samak Sundaravej's cabinet last year, escaped the National Anti-Corruption Commission's verdict.

The commission found legal grounds to file a lawsuit against only Samak and his foreign minister Noppadon Pattama for their support for Cambodia's proposal to list the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site.

 Samak's cabinet allowed Noppadon to sign a joint communique with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An to support the World Heritage inscription in 2008, without approval from Parliament, in accordance with Article 190 of the Constitution.

In Thailand, legal judgement is always subject to the political situation. As politics have changed, many people who once sat in the same boat with Samak and Noppadon are off the hook since they have chosen to sit in another boat with the current government.

From the anti-graft body's perspective, the cabinet members did not need to share responsibility for the decision since they obtained information only from Noppadon, as did civil servants who handled the case. It seemed to the commission Noppadon did it alone, but Samak had to take responsibility as he was the top boss. It sounded strange other concerned officials knew nothing - but that's the anti-graft body's judgement.

 As the ministers are freed, there is no legal question whether they should retain their positions in the cabinet following the anti-graft commission's decision. The Prime Minister is not obliged to make any decision on the case.

 However, Abhisit has other parallel problems to fix, since the sour relations with Cambodia remain. They are likely to get more complicated as Prime Minister Hun Sen makes tough comments from Phnom Penh over the dispute at Preah Vihear.

He made a series of threats to the Thai government,all in only one speech on Monday. He threatened to skip the Asean summit in Cha-Am/Hua Hin in late October if the controversial Preah Vihear issue was not over. He would raise the issue before Asean and the United Nations Security Council unless it had been solved. He vowed to use force against any Thai people, military or civilian, who invaded the disputed area adjacent to the Hindu temple.

 Usually, strongman Hun Sen does not make blank threats. He does what he says. Cambodia has already forwarded the issue of possible conflict over the area to the UN Security Council and tried to raise it during an Asean ministerial meeting in Singapore last year.

 Two border skirmishes in October last year and April this year, which killed seven soldiers on both sides, have already proved Hun Sen's war weapon is not a toy gun.

 The Asean summit is nothing to him. With or without Hun Sen, the summit would make no difference - but Prime Minister Abhisit really needs Hun Sen's presence since he is the chair and Thailand the host. Hun Sen might come to the summit eventually but it really hurts the Asean spirit when the chair is in conflict with a member.

 Prime Minister Abhisit's advisers might whisper to him that Hun Sen made a nonsense statement for domestic consumption to gain political support. It might be true but it is nonsense.

They might advise him to ignore Hun Sen's reaction after the government's close associate, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrated in Si Sa Ket's Ban Phumsarol on September 19, demanding removal of the Cambodian community from the disputed area. Hun Sen would have no story if the government's ally had not created it for him.

 Bangkok people may not get hurt by Hun Sen's verbal attacks, but they really harm the country and border areas communities.

 Thailand, as a country, is not able to mend sour relations with Cambodia since the atmosphere for good cooperation is spoiled regularly by actions and reactions in this country.

 People in the border area near Preah Vihear, already losing their income from trade and tourism at the temple, live in fear as they don't know when Hun Sen's rockets and mortars might land in their villages. Cambodia's word might be true or not, but such uncertainty creates fear for local residents. And living in fear is no fun at all.