Cambodian PM 'was misinformed'

"I understand that Prime Minister Hun Sen made such remarks because he was misinformed about Thaksin and the whole situation in Thailand, so we have to give him the facts," Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said yesterday.

Hun Sen said upon his arrival at the Asean Summit that he would offer Thaksin refuge in Cambodia and appoint him as an adviser. He said Thaksin was a victim of political changes in the wake of the 2006 coup.

"We will tell him what happened in Thailand over the past three years and that his many trials have nothing to do with the coup," Kasit said.

The letter would not be an argument or condemnation of Hun Sen but just a plain description of Thaksin, the |political situation and Thailand's justice system, he said.

Many criminal cases arose before the coup and asset concealment actually took place only within Thaksin's family, he said.

 Hun Sen's invitation to Thaksin threw more fuel on the fire after the two countries have faced off over the controversial Preah Vihear Temple for over a year.

The government had Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban explain the matter to Hun Sen during his two-night stay in Thailand.

The foreign ministry would make the clarification and send it through diplomatic channels to him again within a week to make sure he gets the right picture, Kasit said.

While declining to interpret Hun Sen's move, Kasit said his government would simply regard the incident as the Cambodian premier, who is an old friend of Thaksin, just getting the wrong idea.

Kasit rejected a demand by a group of senators to retaliate against Hun Sen since the two governments have promised to jointly develop their countries and not to bring up internal politics.

"We don't allow a minor thing to jeopardise the entire relationship," he said.