Cambodia Benefits From Internationalizing Border Clashes

The situation of clashes at the Thai-Cambodian border in Surin is still very worrying. Both sides rushed to build up troops and transport heavy weapons to build up bases for launching full attacks. The bases have been built along over 15-km-long borderline from Ta Khwai Temple to Ta Muean Thom Temple.
Cambodia has deployed troops from the Special Taskforce 91, which is under direct command of Major General Hun Manet, favorite son of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Main Reason
I believe Hun Manet wants to show and prove his fighting skill to the Cambodian people. This was the main reason that the Cambodian troops crossed the border to try to seize the Ta Khwai Temple three times but they were bombarded by troops from the Second Army Region, causing them to flee back.
It should be noted that when the Thai and Cambodian troops bombarding each other with artillery, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made two-day visit to Phnom Penh as a special guest of Hun Sen.
I believe Hun Sen and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who is a great ally of Cambodia, definitely held a closed-door meeting to discuss the Thai-Cambodian border clashes.
What should be monitored is whether Hun Sen would seek military help from Vietnam if the fighting drags on. It should also be monitored how Vietnam, which is a member of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), will play its role regarding to this problem.
So far, what has become certain is that the Thai-Cambodian border clashes have been internationalized and sent to the United Nations very fast.
Maintaining Cease-Fire
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement, demanding the two countries to stop using force to attack each other. The UN secretary general also called on the two countries to exercise restraint, so that they could hold negotiations to sustainedly solve the problem.
The UN secretary general also called on the two countries to come up with measures for effectively maintaining cease-fire, which should be verified immediately.
I see that the stand of the UN secretary general and ASEAN chairman, who called on the two countries to cease-fire and call for a measure for verifying ceasefire immediately, went along with the wish of Hun Sen.
Hun Sen wants third countries to get involved in the conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia.
This is a main problem that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra must rush to solve.
As a result, Yingluck has made preparations to seek a talk with Hun Sen during an ASEAN Summit in Indonesia early May.
Negative Impacts
Yingluck raised a condition that such a talk must be a bilateral one without participation of any other country or organization.
The use of heavy weapons to bombard each other by the two countries has caused several negative impacts as following:
1. The longer the fight continues, the more casualties of troops of the two countries will happen. Although more Cambodian troops were killed than Thai troops, it was not an issue that we should rejoice.
2. The longer the clashes continue, the more budget will be spent.
3. Now that the situation in the bilateral ties has been under much tension, the hope has become diminished for two Thais, who have been detained by Cambodia on spying charges, to be released and sent back to Thailand.
4. More than 40,000 people in Surin and Buri Ram, including children and aged people, had to be evacuated and had to leave their homes and farmlands behind.
5. The border clashed prevented peoples living along the borderline from visiting each other like what they could do in the past.
6. The protracted fight will damage the border trades.
All in all, the border clashes had tremendous negative impacts.
Only a group of people do not care about the ongoing fighting.
They are Thai gamblers who continued to cross the border to gamble in casinos in Poipet.
As long as the casinos in Poipet are still open, the Thai gamblers will be willing to cross the border to fight against the casinos' owners.
And they will always return home empty-handed.

Role of Army in New Thai Government

The Thai Army chief's statement about the military's feeling has led to an understanding and sympathy for everything it has done for the nation, religion, the Monarchy and the people. It has devoted to working for public interest over its own and yet has been subject to criticisms over its tasks that involved politics since they have affected the wrangle between rival political parties. The top military leader, therefore, has had to come out to comfort his subordinates.
Decentralizing Power
The Armed Forces will have to get back to their work anyhow as they are so obliged by the Constitution. As they are seen as a main condition for the survival of the government, politicians do not trust them and have to try to rein in their power. Therefore, they have to check and balance structures of command and personnel of the Armed Forces so as to decentralize the power from the old clique of officers in charge, especially the Burapha Phayak faction which has been enjoying its dominance during the past three years.
The post of defense minister is the first mechanism that the political branch will use to counter the power of incumbent military commanders. Although the minister cannot play a significant role in preventing and prewarning a coup, he as access to high-level information from the Defense Council's meetings on the reshuffle of military top brass in key commanding posts.
Preventing Political Intervention
Despite speculations that the Phuea Thai Party is planning vengeance on certain Armed Forces commanders and kick them out of power, it will not be easy to do so. Existing mechanisms on reshuffling senior military officers at the level of general are designed to prevent political intervention. However, if the political branch manages to put its people to the top posts of the Armed Forces during a routine shake-up, they can later vote to bring in their men in future reshuffles.
It is common for Army Commander-in-Chief General Prayut Chan-ocha to spell out his stand on that the new defense minister must be versed with military affairs, including the Thai-Cambodia border conflict and the unrest situation in the southern border provinces besides being acceptable to the Armed Forces. This is like the military's recommendation to the new government for its selection of the defense minister.
It might look like the military has no choice but give in to conditions set by ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It seems to have nothing to bargain as Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra is becoming the country's first woman prime minister after the Phuea Thai Party won a landslide victory in the recent election and is also enjoying support from other coalition parties. But opening the door for the political branch to have a say in the nomination of the defense minister could also be seen as collusion to allow the person backed by the Armed Forces to take the defense minister post so that incumbent military top brass will remain in power.
Many military figures who have slipped out of the power circle are hoping to make use of the political situation to make a comeback as they know that the political branch's need for a power balance with the Armed Forces will challenge the power hierarchy laid down by the dominant military clique.
Trading and Bargaining With Military
The military leaders' move on the new defense minister is interesting in the way that it reflects the political branch's awkward attempt to tie its dealing with the Armed Forces to national reconciliation. As a matter of fact, it is all about trading and bargaining with the military. The political branch has an advantage in terms of righteousness, image and public support while the Armed Forces will only be subject to attacks once they express their views. They are at disadvantage as they are seen by the society as having to stay out of politics since they are government officials.
Game of Politicians
Anyway, a move by the military still holds some significance as it can be used as deterrence t o politicians prone to tyrannous governing. But it has to stop and step back to an appropriate distance once the point is made.
The political branch can exploit this to slip its people in as defense minister and Armed Forces commanders. But if the military becomes the first to initiate bargaining, it will ruin its own image in addition to playing into the game of politicians who could exploit the situation for even greater bargaining.

Role of Army in New Thai Government

The Thai Army chief's statement about the military's feeling has led to an understanding and sympathy for everything it has done for the nation, religion, the Monarchy and the people. It has devoted to working for public interest over its own and yet has been subject to criticisms over its tasks that involved politics since they have affected the wrangle between rival political parties. The top military leader, therefore, has had to come out to comfort his subordinates.
Decentralizing Power
The Armed Forces will have to get back to their work anyhow as they are so obliged by the Constitution. As they are seen as a main condition for the survival of the government, politicians do not trust them and have to try to rein in their power. Therefore, they have to check and balance structures of command and personnel of the Armed Forces so as to decentralize the power from the old clique of officers in charge, especially the Burapha Phayak faction which has been enjoying its dominance during the past three years.
The post of defense minister is the first mechanism that the political branch will use to counter the power of incumbent military commanders. Although the minister cannot play a significant role in preventing and prewarning a coup, he as access to high-level information from the Defense Council's meetings on the reshuffle of military top brass in key commanding posts.
Preventing Political Intervention
Despite speculations that the Phuea Thai Party is planning vengeance on certain Armed Forces commanders and kick them out of power, it will not be easy to do so. Existing mechanisms on reshuffling senior military officers at the level of general are designed to prevent political intervention. However, if the political branch manages to put its people to the top posts of the Armed Forces during a routine shake-up, they can later vote to bring in their men in future reshuffles.
It is common for Army Commander-in-Chief General Prayut Chan-ocha to spell out his stand on that the new defense minister must be versed with military affairs, including the Thai-Cambodia border conflict and the unrest situation in the southern border provinces besides being acceptable to the Armed Forces. This is like the military's recommendation to the new government for its selection of the defense minister.
It might look like the military has no choice but give in to conditions set by ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It seems to have nothing to bargain as Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra is becoming the country's first woman prime minister after the Phuea Thai Party won a landslide victory in the recent election and is also enjoying support from other coalition parties. But opening the door for the political branch to have a say in the nomination of the defense minister could also be seen as collusion to allow the person backed by the Armed Forces to take the defense minister post so that incumbent military top brass will remain in power.
Many military figures who have slipped out of the power circle are hoping to make use of the political situation to make a comeback as they know that the political branch's need for a power balance with the Armed Forces will challenge the power hierarchy laid down by the dominant military clique.
Trading and Bargaining With Military
The military leaders' move on the new defense minister is interesting in the way that it reflects the political branch's awkward attempt to tie its dealing with the Armed Forces to national reconciliation. As a matter of fact, it is all about trading and bargaining with the military. The political branch has an advantage in terms of righteousness, image and public support while the Armed Forces will only be subject to attacks once they express their views. They are at disadvantage as they are seen by the society as having to stay out of politics since they are government officials.
Game of Politicians
Anyway, a move by the military still holds some significance as it can be used as deterrence t o politicians prone to tyrannous governing. But it has to stop and step back to an appropriate distance once the point is made.
The political branch can exploit this to slip its people in as defense minister and Armed Forces commanders. But if the military becomes the first to initiate bargaining, it will ruin its own image in addition to playing into the game of politicians who could exploit the situation for even greater bargaining.