Cambodia's ASEAN entry postponed<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): The Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations (ASEAN) indefinitely postponed Cambodia's entry into the
\ngroup yesterday and offered to help end bloody political feuding
\nin the country.<\/p>\n
ASEAN foreign ministers made the decision at a special meeting
\nhere after Cambodian Second Prime Minister Hun Sen ousted his
\ncoalition partner Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the first prime
\nminister, last weekend.<\/p>\n
A statement said ASEAN remained committed to "non-
\ninterference" but "decided that in the light of unfortunate
\ncircumstances which have resulted from the use of force, the
\nwisest course of action is to delay the admission of Cambodia
\ninto ASEAN until a later date."<\/p>\n
Myanmar and Laos' entry will "proceed as scheduled" this
\nmonth, they said.<\/p>\n
All three were supposed to be inducted on July 24, when ASEAN
\nholds its annual ministerial meeting but the Cambodian power
\nstruggle prompted member nations to evacuate their nationals.
\nwestern nations followed their lead.<\/p>\n
ASEAN currently comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
\nPhilippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
"The ASEAN countries stand ready to contribute their efforts
\nto the peaceful resolution of the situation in Cambodia," the
\njoint statement said.<\/p>\n
Cambodia's unique power-sharing system with two premiers has
\nled to endless infighting that deteriorated into bloodshed last
\nweekend when Hun Sen's forces seized control of Phnom Penh while
\nPrince Ranariddh was in Paris.<\/p>\n
At least 16 people have been killed and 80 injured as fighting
\nspreads outside the capital.<\/p>\n
Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who chaired
\nthe emergency meeting, said an ASEAN delegation would seek an
\naudience with Cambodia's King Sihanouk, now in China, and meet
\nthe feuding prime ministers to seek a peaceful resolution.<\/p>\n
The mission, which includes Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali
\nAlatas, Thai Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasarn and Philippine
\nForeign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon, will leave as early as
\npossible.<\/p>\n
"All that we want to see is that the government is in place,
\nthe coalition will continue, that the national assembly will not
\nbe dissolved," Badawi said, urging the Cambodian factions to
\nuphold the Paris peace accords which ended decades of civil war
\nand led to elections in 1993.<\/p>\n
Abdullah said ASEAN still regarded Prince Ranariddh as the co-
\nprime minister but would leave it to his royalist FUNCINPEC party
\n"to decide who is best to represent them".<\/p>\n
Alatas said: "We did not pass judgment on who is right, who is
\nwrong, who is legitimate or who is illegitimate, or whether there
\nwas a coup d'etat. What we know is there has been a drastic
\nchange in the political situation brought about by the force of
\narms."<\/p>\n
"That is why we decided it is not wise to accept Cambodia as a
\nfull member right now," Alatas added. "We want to talk with both
\nprime ministers."<\/p>\n
Thailand's Prachuab described the postponement as "a unanimous
\ndecision," adding there was "no time frame" agreed for Cambodia's
\nentry.<\/p>\n
The decision shattered the group's vision of becoming the
\n"ASEAN-10," unifying Southeast Asia for the first time to create
\none of the world's largest markets, with a combined population of
\nmore than 500 million.<\/p>\n
Hun Sen, who chaired his first cabinet meeting since the
\nfighting, yesterday denied he had staged a coup and issued a
\nstern warning to ASEAN.<\/p>\n
"If Cambodia sees ASEAN interfering in internal affairs, we
\nwill decide not to join. We survived a long time without ASEAN
\nmembership," he told reporters.<\/p>\n
Hun Sen received a boost when a senior FUNCINPEC member, co-
\nminister of defense Tea Chamrath, declared yesterday he was ready
\nto replace the prince and asked loyalist troops to stay calm.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Cambodian national assembly's committee on
\nhuman rights welcomed ASEAN's decision to postpone the entry.<\/p>\n
"It's right because if they recognize the government now, this
\nis not the legal government," Kem Sokha told AFP.<\/p>\n
Kem Sokha, a member of the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party
\n(BLDP) faction allied with Prince Ranariddh's royalists, was
\nspeaking on arrival in Bangkok after leaving Phnom Penh on an
\nevacuation flight.<\/p>\n
A second BLDP MP, Son Chhay of Siem Reap province, echoed Kem
\nSokha's sentiments. "I think they made the right decision," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Test -- Page 5<\/p>\n
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