PM Regrets ‘Good Partner’ Thaksin’s Resignation

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Fri­day expressed regret over the resignation of Thailand’s Prime Min­ister Thaksin Shinawatra, adding that Cambodia has different methods when it comes to addressing its own internal problems.

Speaking to reporters outside the National Assembly, Hun Sen said he believed the Thai people were suf­ficiently wise to address their own difficulties, and that the resignation was an internal matter for Thailand.

“This is a compromise and concession. Actually, Cambodia re­grets the departure of His Ex­cel­lency Thaksin Shinawatra who is my good partner. But Thailand has its own way of addressing [its] problems and Cambodia has her own way. So we cannot interfere be­yond what the Thai people really want,” Hun Sen said.

Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai party won a snap election on April 2 with an estimated 57 percent of the vote, but the victory came in the face of an election boycott and anti-Thak­sin protests that had rocked Bang­kok for months. Thaksin on Wed­nes­day appointed an acting prime minister until a replacement is found.

Hun Sen noted that Thaksin re­mains a member of parliament and the leader of the party that won the election.

Nhim Vanda, CPP lawmaker and First Vice President for the Na­tional Committee for Disaster Man­agement, on Thursday described Thaksin’s resignation as “unbelievable.”

He added that Thaksin should have studied Cambodia’s politics be­fore making such a decision.

“It was unbelievable that he finally bowed out of his premiership. To me, he is a good and strong leader. He should have learned from the Cambodian experience in handling political crises,” Nhim Vanda said.

At the Assembly on Friday, opposition lawmakers Son Chhay and Yim Sovann were both voted in as heads of parliament commissions, marking the first time opposition of­ficials have held such posts.

Yim Sovann replaced royalist lawmaker Monh Saphan as head of the commission on interior and na­tional defense.

Son Chhay replaced Funcinpec lawmaker Princess Norodom Va­cheara as head of the commission on foreign affairs, international co­operation, information and media.

Son Chhay said Cambodians should learn from Thailand, adding that Thaksin’s resignation indicates that Thai society is oriented around institutions rather than individuals.

“In the past, Cambodia’s leaders just clung to power,” he said. “One Thai leader left power for the sake of his own country. This is a good lesson that we have to learn,” he added.

 

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