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Thaksin extradition demand denied Thaksin extradition demand denied
(about 3 hours later)
Cambodia has rejected an extradition request from Thailand for former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, further escalating a diplomatic row.Cambodia has rejected an extradition request from Thailand for former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, further escalating a diplomatic row.
Mr Thaksin arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday, to work as an adviser. Mr Thaksin arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday, after being invited to work as an adviser to the government there.
Thai diplomats gave the extradition papers to Cambodia's foreign affairs ministry early on Wednesday. Thai diplomats gave the extradition papers to Cambodia early on Wednesday.
But Cambodia replied saying it would not consider the request, because it viewed the charges Mr Thaksin faces in Thailand as politically motivated.But Cambodia replied saying it would not consider the request, because it viewed the charges Mr Thaksin faces in Thailand as politically motivated.
Mr Thaksin - who has been sentenced to two years in jail in absentia by a Thai court as result of a conflict of interest case - was recently offered a home and a job in Cambodia. Mr Thaksin has been sentenced to two years in jail in absentia by a Thai court, as result of a conflict of interest case.
According to the BBC correspondent in Bangkok, Mr Thaksin's presence just across the border is a source of profound irritation and potential concern for the current Thai government. According to the BBC correspondent in Bangkok, Rachel Harvey, the former prime minister's presence just across the border from Thailand is a source of profound irritation and potential concern for the current government.
'Political' charge'Political' charge
"Thaksin's conviction is caused by the coup in September 2006, when he was the prime minister of Thailand whom Thai people voted in with an overwhelming majority in accordance with democracy," Cambodia's foreign minister Hor Namhong said earlier on Wednesday. Mr Thaksin served as Thailand's prime minister from 2001 to 2006, when he was ousted by a military coup after being accused of corruption and showing disrespect to the country's widely-revered monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
In Bangkok, Thailand's foreign ministry said it was waiting for official confirmation from the embassy in Phnom Penh that Cambodia had denied its request. He has been living in self-imposed exile ever since - mostly in Dubai - but has rarely been out of the headlines, giving a series of high-profile interviews and continuing to make contact with his supporters inside the country.
"If it is true, we will consider the next measures to take," the ministry's deputy spokesman Thani Thongpakdi told AFP.
ANALYSIS Rachel Harvey, BBC News, Bangkok If there is one thing that supporters and opponents of Thaksin Shinawatra can surely agree on, it is this - the fugitive former prime minister of Thailand has a knack for grabbing headlines.ANALYSIS Rachel Harvey, BBC News, Bangkok If there is one thing that supporters and opponents of Thaksin Shinawatra can surely agree on, it is this - the fugitive former prime minister of Thailand has a knack for grabbing headlines.
In his latest move, the former premier has taken up a new position as economic adviser to the Cambodian government.In his latest move, the former premier has taken up a new position as economic adviser to the Cambodian government.
There could be a personal edge to it - Mr Thaksin and Mr Hun Sen are good friends and golf partners.There could be a personal edge to it - Mr Thaksin and Mr Hun Sen are good friends and golf partners.
But the timing was widely interpreted in Thai media as being designed to undermine Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva. Diplomatic spat over ThaksinBut the timing was widely interpreted in Thai media as being designed to undermine Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva. Diplomatic spat over Thaksin
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said the country may terminate its extradition treaty with Cambodia if Phnom Penh refuses to send Mr Thaksin home to face justice. Analysts say his visit to Cambodia, and his position as a government adviser there, is bound to stoke tensions in Thailand.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has expressed the region's concern at such an argument breaking out within the bounds of the supposedly fraternal Association of South East Asian Nations. Three Thai diplomats presented papers to Cambodia's foreign ministry early on Wednesday asking for Mr Thaksin's extradition.
"Tension between Cambodia and Thailand is something that we're following extremely closely with a great deal of concern, to be honest, because it affects two fellow members of Asean, and we see the deterioration of relations to be in total disconnect with what ought to mark how Asean member countries ought to engage with one another. It came as little surprise to analysts when the Thai foreign ministry quickly received a reply rejecting the request.
"This spat, this division has to end, and we must return to the usual path which is friendship within Asean," Mr Natalegawa said. Cambodia's foreign ministry said the legal case against Mr Thaksin was politically motivated, and therefore not covered by the two countries' extradition treaty.
Mr Thaksin arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday to take up a job as economic adviser to the government. It said he had been toppled from power by the military after being "overwhelmingly and democratically elected by the Thai people".
The move has deepened a diplomatic rift with Thailand, where Mr Thaksin faces a jail term for corruption if he returns. "We are now considering what next step to take," a Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman told the BBC.
Having already withdrawn its ambassador from Cambodia, the Thai cabinet has now agreed to scrap joint plans for trade and oil exploration. But she made clear that at this stage, the focus was still on pursuing legal avenues that could eventually lead to Mr Thaksin's extradition, rather than further retaliatory measures.
Ties between Cambodia and Thailand have also been tense recently due to a series of disputes around a cross-border temple complex. Tense times
Mr Thaksin, a former telecoms billionaire, is in self-imposed exile and has spent much of his time in Dubai. Relations between Thailand and Cambodia are already strained.
Thailand's government is outraged at the Cambodian move, and at Cambodia's apparent rejection of Thailand's judicial imperative to send Mr Thaksin to jail. Having already withdrawn its ambassador from Cambodia, the Thai cabinet has now decided to scrap joint plans for trade and oil exploration.
The Thai government and its supporters also fear that Mr Thaksin could use his new home just across the border as a campaign base. There have also been series of disputes centred around the 11th-Century Preah Vihear temple complex near the two countries' border.
Mr Abhisit's government was appointed after defections in parliament followed a period of military rule since the coup in 2006 which deposed Mr Thaksin. The temple was awarded to Cambodia by the World Court in 1962, but has been a flashpoint for tensions since it was granted Unesco World Heritage Status in 2008.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has expressed the region's concern at the deteriorating relations between Thailand and Cambodia, both of which are members of the supposedly fraternal Association of South East Asian Nations.
"This spat, this division has to end, and we must return to the usual path which is friendship within Asean," Mr Natalegawa told reporters.
The timing of this current spat is particularly embarrassing for the Thais, as Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is due to chair a meeting between Asean leaders and US President Barack Obama on Sunday, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Singapore.
Are you in Cambodia? What do you think of Thaksin's new role? How will it affect relations between Thailand and Cambodia? Send us your views using the form below.Are you in Cambodia? What do you think of Thaksin's new role? How will it affect relations between Thailand and Cambodia? Send us your views using the form below.
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