PHNOM PENH , Jan. 11 KYODO
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will take part in next month's summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Thailand even though he had earlier suggested skipping it, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong said Sunday.
Last Thursday, Hun Sen expressed his dissatisfaction with the arrangements by Thailand as day after Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva suddenly announced a change of the meeting format and venue, leaving out back-to-back meetings between ASEAN leaders and those from Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand as is normally the case.
Hun Sen argued the change means he would have to visit Thailand at least three times this year, including the ASEAN summit now set for Feb. 27 to March 1 in the Thai beach resort Hua Hin and again in late April for the meetings with leaders of ASEAN's dialogue partners in a location yet to be announced.
Sources close to Hun Sen told Kyodo News he changed his mind after he received phone calls from the Thai prime minister urging him to attend.
The ASEAN summit was originally set for Bangkok last December, but massive antigovernment protests in the Thai capital prompted the Thais to change the venue to the northern city Chiang Mai.
Then, on Dec. 2, the government postponed the summit indefinitely.
The Cambodian-Thai relationship has worsened in recent months, particularly after fighting erupted along disputed areas of their border last year.
ASEAN also includes Brunei , Indonesia , Laos , Malaysia , Myanmar , the Philippines , Singapore and Vietnam .
KyodoJanuary 11, 2009
Last Thursday, Hun Sen expressed his dissatisfaction with the arrangements by Thailand as day after Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva suddenly announced a change of the meeting format and venue, leaving out back-to-back meetings between ASEAN leaders and those from Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand as is normally the case.
Hun Sen argued the change means he would have to visit Thailand at least three times this year, including the ASEAN summit now set for Feb. 27 to March 1 in the Thai beach resort Hua Hin and again in late April for the meetings with leaders of ASEAN's dialogue partners in a location yet to be announced.
Sources close to Hun Sen told Kyodo News he changed his mind after he received phone calls from the Thai prime minister urging him to attend.
The ASEAN summit was originally set for Bangkok last December, but massive antigovernment protests in the Thai capital prompted the Thais to change the venue to the northern city Chiang Mai.
Then, on Dec. 2, the government postponed the summit indefinitely.
The Cambodian-Thai relationship has worsened in recent months, particularly after fighting erupted along disputed areas of their border last year.
ASEAN also includes Brunei , Indonesia , Laos , Malaysia , Myanmar , the Philippines , Singapore and Vietnam .
KyodoJanuary 11, 2009