Thai Foreign Minister Apologizes to Prime Minister Hun Sen

By Soy Sophea

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has apologized to the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, following an incident in which the Thai minister referred to the Cambodian Premier in unflattering terms during a Thai parliamentary debate session.

“I have the honor to refer to recent news in which you were described as being concerned with the terms that I used to describe you during the parliamentary debate session in Thailand,” Kasit said in a letter dated on April 1. A copy of this letter was in the possession of The Cambodia Weekly a day later.

Kasit said in the Thai language the word “Nak Leng” which he used during the debate means a person who is lion-hearted, a courageous and magnanimous gentleman, and it is in this sense of the word that the Minister was referring to Samdech Hun Sen.

“Please do rest assured that nothing will be allowed to come in the way of making of our friendship warm, cordial, and mutually beneficial,” he said. “Do kindly accept my deep apology for such an unfortunate incident and let it not be a cause for intentional misunderstanding.

The apology was made after the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had called for the Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya’s apology.

"He has insulted me and called me a gangster," Hun Sen said at the opening ceremony of the Industrial Zone in Sihanouk province on March 31. "What if I insult your king? What would you say if I insulted your prime minister and your ancestors? I'm not angry with you, but please use more dignified words," he added.

Prime Minister Hun Sen made this statement in the context of the border conflict and he warned Thai troops not to invade Cambodia's territory any more. However, Cambodian officials said recently some 100 Thai troops briefly entered areas adjacent to the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear where border skirmish erupted in October 15 last year.

"I tell you first, if you enter [Cambodian territory] again, we will fight. The troops at the border have already received the order," Hun Sen said. "I am the leader of Cambodia who was elected by the will of the people, not by seizing power."

As Hun Sen called for the apology, he warned that he will not shake hands with the Thai Foreign Minister at the upcoming ASEAN Submit in Thailand this April without the apology first. Moreover, he would not shake hands when Kasit would accompany the Thai Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva during a one-day official visit to Cambodia on April 18.

Koy Kuong, spokesperson at Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, told The Cambodia Weekly on April 2 that the Thai’s apology to the Cambodian Prime Minister was an act of high responsibility, as expected from a political leader of a neighboring country.

Kuong added that the Cambodian Prime Minister had sent a letter to the Thai Foreign Minister assuring him that he accepted the apology in a display of mutual understanding. He believed bilateral cooperation had been strengthened and improved.

He also said that during the upcoming official visit of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to Cambodia, both leaders would be committed to strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially in the case of the border dispute.