Posted on 10/10/2005 12:12:19 PM PDT by ASA Vet
Thaksin sees no need for talks with KL
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has shut the door on Malaysia's suggestion that bilateral talks be held to settle the controversy over the sheltering of 131 Thai-Muslim villagers in Trengganu state. The talks were unnecessary, Mr Thaksin said yesterday before leaving for a visit to the European Union.
The circumstances were not so pressing as to warrant a meeting. It was all a matter of procedure.
Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said on Saturday dialogue would clear the air. Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur should keep talking until the issue was resolved.
The issue has threatened to ignite diplomatic and political friction on various fronts. Bangkok was upset by signs the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees could grant refugee status to the villagers, who crossed from Narathiwat into Kelantan state saying they were in fear of the security forces operating against insurgents.
They were later transferred from Kelantan, a stronghold of Malaysia's opposition party, to a more politically neutral holding centre in nearby Trengganu state.
Mr Thaksin said Malaysia's assurance that it would not interfere in Thailand's domestic affairs was comforting to hear.
The assurance was conveyed through National Reconciliation Commission chairman Anand Panyarachun who informally met Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad last week in Malaysia.
Mr Mahathir had also affirmed Kuala Lumpur had no reason to support separatism in Thailand.
Earlier, Mr Syed Hamid said Kuala Lumpur would hand over the 131 detainees only when Bangkok could guarantee them safety.
A return of the 131 Thais was being discussed, but nationality checks on some of them revealed a rather ``sketchy'' result. A large number of border residents hold dual Thai and Malaysian nationality.
The prime minister earlier said an arrest warrant was out for one of the detainees alleged to have colluded in the killing and looting at an army arsenal on Jan 4 last year. Another 20 were suspects in the southern violence.
Mr Thaksin stressed Malaysia's help was crucial to ending the insurgency, especially in combating border-related problems.
He urged Kuala Lumpur to put to rest concerns it may have of Thailand's human rights record. ``Our human rights standard is high. We stick to and abide by the principle and the constitution, ours being very progressive as it is. We'll do our best,'' Mr Thaksin said.
He was hoping for ``positive cooperation'' with Malaysia _ although sometimes other countries tended to let politics get the better of them.
The prime minister said summoning the Malaysian ambassador to receive a complaint about Mr Syed Hamid's comments was justified.
Sometimes, it was counter-productive to make comments to achieve political ends.
``Whatever you say and wherever you say it, people in any corner of the world are bound to hear about it,'' he said.
Reminds me of the stupid idiots who fled Israel to Jordan in 1947 and 48, only to become poor, destitute, stateless individuals. On the other hand, had they "fled" to BKK, they'd no doubt be successful shoe dealers by now!
Always a good thing.
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