Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry rejected the request just moments after a Thai diplomat submitted it in person, saying it does not recognize Thailand’s charges against Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and later sentenced to two years in prison for graft. It said Thaksin was toppled by the military after being “overwhelmingly and democratically elected by the Thai people.”Thaksin, a billionaire former telecommunications tycoon twice elected in landslides, had been living in self-imposed exile, largely in Dubai, before arriving in Phnom Penh on Tuesday as a guest of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has offered him a job as economic adviser, infuriating the Thai government. The spat looks set to undermine any attempt by Southeast Asian leaders to project a united front in talks with US President Barack Obama on Sunday in Singapore, the first-ever meeting between a US leader and all 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Thaksin’s presence in Cambodia, where he intends to give a speech on Thursday, has fired up passions on both sides of Thailand’s political divide while drawing attention to a border where Thai and Cambodian troops have clashed in the past year.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he regretted Cambodia’s decision to reject its extradition request but vowed to ensure the row would not get out of hand. ”I insist the government will take care of this rationally,” he told reporters in Bangkok. “We will not allow any kind of violence, or military action between the two countries, or even close the border, as we don’t want to cause any trouble.”
