Cambodia accused Asean Secretary General of interfering in its internal affairs

By Khmerization
Sources: DAP News and RFA

Cambodia has accused the Secretary General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) of interfering in its internal affairs when he criticised Cambodia's test-firing of 200 BM-21 rockets on 4th March, reports Deum Ampil and Radio Free Asia.

Dr. Surin Pitsuwan (pictured), the Secretary General of Asean who is also a Thai national, hinted that Cambodia's rocket tests could be a signal to the world that the Asean region is unstable at a time when there is simmering military tensions between Cambodia and Thailand.

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly reacted to Dr. Surin's comment and accused him of interfering in Cambodia's internal affairs. Mr. Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Cambodian Foreign Ministry, said Dr. Surin had never reacted to Thailand's military excercises along the Cambodian-Thai borders when it fired many rounds of rockets and artillery shells into Cambodian territories in late 2009. "In the past various countries had staged its military excercises, especially the joint Thai-American military excercise called "Golden Cobra", along the Khmer-Thai borders every year, but Cambodia has never reacted. So, the reactions of Dr. Surin this time is very strange. He should not comment about theinternal affairs of a country that is a member of Asean", Mr. Koy said.