NEUTRALITY?
China’s delivery of 39 T-39D battle tanks to Cambodia risks undermining a fragile truce between the two Southeast Asian countries, the Thai prime minister said
Thailand has lodged concerns with China over its recent delivery of tanks to Cambodia, citing the fragility of a ceasefire between the Southeast Asian neighbors following last year’s deadly border clashes.Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul raised the concerns with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in a meeting on Friday last week, Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters yesterday during the Thai delegation’s visit to China.“Our concern lies in Cambodia’s reporting of the tank delivery. At this time, relations are delicate, and the ceasefire is fragile,” Sihasak said. “Presenting the tank delivery in a way that benefits Cambodia could not be beneficial for the current Thai-Cambodian situation.”
From left, Burmese Permanent Secretary Hau Khan Sum, Malaysian Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amran Mohamed Zin, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Timor-Leste Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Vietnam Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, Singapore Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Chua, Brunei Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Indonesian Director General for ASEAN Cooperation Ina Hagniningtyas Krisnamurthi, Laotian Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn pose for a photo with representatives from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Representatives during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers` Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay, Metro Manila, yesterday.
