The average Cambodian is largely ambivalent to the storm of fury across the border. Generally speaking, an enemy of Thailand is a friend of theirs. But this matter isn’t to be taken lightly. Here’s what Details Are Sketchy has to say:

… Thaksin’s current visit to Cambodia is not merely some political stunt designed to enrage the Thai establishment — although it is certainly that — but part of a larger strategy aimed at regime change in Thailand. It’s hard to underestimate the stakes in such a gamble. The danger of war, say some analysts, has never been greater.

It is impeccable timing to grab the headlines. Obama is jumping in the fray for influence in the East Asia region and arrives tomorrow for meetings with the leaders of its powerhouse nations.

Holding on to power by any means and turning his once war-torn country into his personal playground would not count for much in terms of achievements in this day and age. Under his rule, Cambodia continues to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world. We think the Cambodian people deserve better.

And the Political Prisoners of Thailand blog responds:

Just in case anyone wanted to compare the Cambodian government with that in Thailand, the writer claims that “the current Thai government came through a parliamentary process, not because of the 2006 coup.” No one would describe Cambodia as a model democracy, especially not domestic opponents of the regime. And one would expect Thailand to do better than Cambodia on most indices. That said, on both the Reporters Without Borders Index and the Transparency International index of the perception of corruption, while still ranked lower than Thailand, Cambodia is rising while Thailand is falling.

Hat tip to PPT, and read their About page. This is a good blog for those interested in Southeast Asia politics, especially with increasing political repression in Thailand in face of the impending succession.

Cambodia's PM Hun Sen, courtesy of mrcmekong.org

There were so few opportunities to catch a cnn segment in the past three weeks in the provinces, yet every time I did it was running the boy-trapped-in-the-hot-air-balloon farce. I guess there are so few newsworthy events in the world (shoot me now- and no, i will not pingback to that dumbass non-story OR to cnn).

And then there’s the local buzz. Just this once, Hun Sen actually amuses me:

Our very own PM announced at the ASEAN gathering in Hua Hin, Thailand, that the extradition treaty will not apply to Thaksin should he visit Cambodia. Apparently this displeases Thailand.

Remember the offhand jab at Hun Sen by Thailand’s Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya earlier this year?

And the regular nationalist ploys by royalist yellow shirt PAD at the Preah Vihear border temple, most recently a few weeks ago which diverted attention from the demonstrations in Bangkok?

Why does Thailand insist on needling Cambodia, no matter how insignificant they may regard this country? Seems a bit short-sighted to antagonise neighbor governments when you’re facing impending instability, isn’t it?

Robert Carmichael in the Asia Media Forum lists some recent actions against opposition officials and members of the press, which does not include the defamation case against the Cambodia Daily:

One editor of a newspaper affiliated with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) is now serving a one-year jail term for publishing a story the government objected to. The publisher of another newspaper, ‘Moneaksekar Khmer’, was told this week he would be sued and could go to jail after publishing a series of articles allegedly designed to incite conflict between government ministers.

On the political front, two opposition MPs are being sued by senior officials of the ruling party for defamation after having their immunity stripped by the lower house. Their lawyer recently quit their cases and the SRP and crossed over to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) after being told he would be sued.

Two other opposition MPs have been told they could have their immunity taken away too. Two non-government organisations have also received legal threats.

That the government beelines for the courts rather than counter criticisms via more palatable channels such as rebuttal pieces, propaganda speeches and using more of the widely popular comedy skits as they did a few weeks ago, is truly curious. See one of the videos here: Khmer Media Watch.

Oh and WWF joins the ranks of Unfavored NGO Status in Cambodia for releasing scientific data on the state of the Mekong River dolphins (the species is all but functionally extinct). To further add to the comic relief, Global Witness recently urged the UK to revoke PM Hun Sen’s visa ahead of a planned visit to the country to see his son graduate.

Wonder how the crackdown will be managed on the internet, as it will inevitably do. There are a growing number of critical voices across the various social networks…
.