Cambodian chaos tests ASEAN's hands-off creed<\/p>\n
By Bill Tarrant<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Cambodia's descent into political chaos
\nwill test a fundamental creed of the Association of South East
\nAsian Nations (ASEAN) -- thou shalt not interfere in the affairs
\nof thy neighbors.<\/p>\n
Cambodia, along with Myanmar and Laos, will be formally
\nadmitted as members at ASEAN's annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur at
\nthe end of July.<\/p>\n
But with rival Cambodian leaders unable to settle their
\ndifferences and Myanmar being treated as a pariah state by the
\nWest over its human rights records, ASEAN will inevitably be
\ndrawn into the affairs of its members, analysts said.<\/p>\n
"Cambodia's difficulties are going to be ASEAN's
\ndifficulties," said Yusuf Wanandi, chairman of the supervisory
\nboard of Indonesia's Center for Strategic and International
\nStudies.<\/p>\n
"Cambodia's history and geopolitical situation have made this
\na fact for ASEAN," he told a recent conference on ASEAN in Kuala
\nLumpur.<\/p>\n
Cambodian co-Premiers Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen
\nhave for months been locked in a bitter feud over power sharing
\nin their coalition, with both men striving to bolster their
\nstrength in the run-up to elections next year.<\/p>\n
Ties were strained this week over Ranariddh's attempt to
\nstrike a deal with the Khmer Rouge, blamed for the death of more
\nthan a million people during its 1975-79 "killing fields" rule.<\/p>\n
The streets of Phnom Penh were rocked by volleys of gunfire
\nand grenades on Tuesday, which killed two of Ranariddh's security
\nmen, but by Friday the capital had returned to relative calm.<\/p>\n
Hun Sen dismissed Tuesday's violence as a bodyguard squabble,
\nbut security chiefs of the two sides traded assassination
\naccusations.<\/p>\n
Analysts said ASEAN countries could drop their reluctance to
\nget involved in each other's affairs by acting as a buffer
\nbetween Cambodia's factions in the interest of regional
\nstability, analysts said.<\/p>\n
"It's not just a question of non-interference, but a question
\nmore fundamentally about the strength and stability of ASEAN,"
\nsaid Daljit Singh, research analyst with Singapore's Institute of
\nSoutheast Asian Studies.<\/p>\n
"But it (intervention) will be done in the ASEAN way, quietly,
\nbehind the scenes, no loss of face by either party," he added.<\/p>\n
ASEAN's current chairman, Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah
\nBadawi, got the ball rolling on a recent visit to Phnom Penh to
\ninform the government it would be admitted in July.<\/p>\n
Asked about the strife in Cambodia, Badawi said on Thursday:
\n"I spoke to both co-prime ministers earlier and both agreed that
\ncooperation was vital for the country's future. I hope the
\nsituation will improve...it is an internal matter (so) let their
\nleaders resolve the matter."<\/p>\n
At the time of Badawi's meeting in Cambodia earlier this
\nmonth, spokesmen for Cambodia's two premiers called the
\ndiscussions a success and said they would do everything to ensure
\na smooth entry into ASEAN.<\/p>\n
"In fact, it can be argued that the unifying factor between
\nthe two major factions is Cambodia's membership of ASEAN,"
\nWanandi said.<\/p>\n
But Western diplomats were more skeptical.<\/p>\n
"There's a general ostrich policy about Cambodia and Myanmar
\nin ASEAN," said one. "Stick your head in about four feet of sand
\nand hope it'll all go away. They're not getting too involved."<\/p>\n
ASEAN -- currently grouping Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the
\nPhilippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- was founded 30
\nyears ago as an anti-Communist bulwark at the height of the
\nVietnam war. Back then, it was feared the countries of Indochina
\nwould fall like dominoes to the Soviet bloc.<\/p>\n
Today, the fears are about Chinese hegemony in the region.
\nJose Almonte, director-general of the Philippines' National
\nSecurity Council, referred to this concern at a recent conference
\nin Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
ASEAN, he said, "could not easily prevent the continuing
\nvacuum of state power in Indochina -- particularly in Cambodia --
\nfrom sucking in the Thais, the Vietnamese and possibly the
\nChinese".<\/p>\n
Wanandi said Myanmar's dependence on China for arms was also
\nworrying ASEAN.<\/p>",
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