THAILAND NOT CLOSING DOWN EMBASSY IN PHNOM PENH

By D. Arul Rajoo

BANGKOK, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- Thailand Friday said it has no plan to close
its embassy in Phnom Penh despite the escalating tension with Cambodia, but
further cuts on aid are certain.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said although Cambodia was trying to incite
the situation, his Government would not rush into taking actions that could
further stoke tension.

"We will have our own way of dealing with the situation...we will consider
every step and strike at the right time. What Cambodia is doing now is according
to diplomatic ways of showing unhappiness, but we won't close our embassy
there," he said.

Speaking to reporters after an hour-long meeting with Foreign Minister Kasit
Piromya who flew back mid-way of the 17th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(Apec), Abhisit said Thailand would not follow Cambodia's move to withdraw
troops from the disputed Preah Vihear ancient temple as he claimed it was
another ploy by the neighbour.

On Thursday, the Cambodian government ordered Thailand's First Secretary to
Phnom Penh, Kamrob Palawatwichai to leave Cambodia within 48 hours. Thailand
followed suit by asking Cambodia's First Secretary here to leave.


Tension between the two neighbours rose last week when Bangkok recalled its
ambassador to Phnom Penh as a form of retaliation over Cambodia's decision to
appoint the fugitive ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic
advisor.

Cambodia immediately followed suit by pulling back its ambassador to
Thailand, and rejected Thailand's request to extradite Thaksin who is in the
country since Tuesday.

Abhisit, who has accused his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen of interfering in
Thailand's domestic affairs, said the Cabinet would review a Bt1.4-billion loan
approved earlier to build roads in the country.

"The road project is one of the many other projects that we are
reconsidering," said Abhisit before leaving for Singapore to attend the Apec
meeting where he is also expected to meet face-to-face with Hun Sen during the
US-Asean Summit there.

On Tuesday, the Thai Cabinet revoked a memorandum of understanding
signed in
2001 with Cambodia, where both countries agreed to delimit and develop a shared
26,000 square kilometres of overlapping area, as a Joint Development Area for
oil and gas exploration.

Thaksin told a group of Thai journalists in Phnom Penh that he was not
responsible for the conflict with Cambodia, and instead blamed the Government
for appointing Kasit as the foreign minister.

Kasit was one of the key leaders of the yellow-shirted People's Alliance for
Democracy (PAD) which brought down two prime ministers close to Thaksin last
year, as well as attacking Cambodia over the Preah Vihear issue and closing
down Bangkok's two major airports.

On accusations that he was betraying Thailand, Thaksin said it was not true,
adding that the Government simply blamed him for everything.

-- BERNAMA