Cambodia's ASEAN entry postponed

Cambodia's ASEAN entry postponed

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) indefinitely postponed Cambodia's entry into the group yesterday and offered to help end bloody political feuding in the country.

ASEAN foreign ministers made the decision at a special meeting here after Cambodian Second Prime Minister Hun Sen ousted his coalition partner Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the first prime minister, last weekend.

A statement said ASEAN remained committed to "non- interference" but "decided that in the light of unfortunate circumstances which have resulted from the use of force, the wisest course of action is to delay the admission of Cambodia into ASEAN until a later date."

Myanmar and Laos' entry will "proceed as scheduled" this month, they said.

All three were supposed to be inducted on July 24, when ASEAN holds its annual ministerial meeting but the Cambodian power struggle prompted member nations to evacuate their nationals. western nations followed their lead.

ASEAN currently comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"The ASEAN countries stand ready to contribute their efforts to the peaceful resolution of the situation in Cambodia," the joint statement said.

Cambodia's unique power-sharing system with two premiers has led to endless infighting that deteriorated into bloodshed last weekend when Hun Sen's forces seized control of Phnom Penh while Prince Ranariddh was in Paris.

At least 16 people have been killed and 80 injured as fighting spreads outside the capital.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who chaired the emergency meeting, said an ASEAN delegation would seek an audience with Cambodia's King Sihanouk, now in China, and meet the feuding prime ministers to seek a peaceful resolution.

The mission, which includes Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas, Thai Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasarn and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon, will leave as early as possible.

"All that we want to see is that the government is in place, the coalition will continue, that the national assembly will not be dissolved," Badawi said, urging the Cambodian factions to uphold the Paris peace accords which ended decades of civil war and led to elections in 1993.

Abdullah said ASEAN still regarded Prince Ranariddh as the co- prime minister but would leave it to his royalist FUNCINPEC party "to decide who is best to represent them".

Alatas said: "We did not pass judgment on who is right, who is wrong, who is legitimate or who is illegitimate, or whether there was a coup d'etat. What we know is there has been a drastic change in the political situation brought about by the force of arms."

"That is why we decided it is not wise to accept Cambodia as a full member right now," Alatas added. "We want to talk with both prime ministers."

Thailand's Prachuab described the postponement as "a unanimous decision," adding there was "no time frame" agreed for Cambodia's entry.

The decision shattered the group's vision of becoming the "ASEAN-10," unifying Southeast Asia for the first time to create one of the world's largest markets, with a combined population of more than 500 million.

Hun Sen, who chaired his first cabinet meeting since the fighting, yesterday denied he had staged a coup and issued a stern warning to ASEAN.

"If Cambodia sees ASEAN interfering in internal affairs, we will decide not to join. We survived a long time without ASEAN membership," he told reporters.

Hun Sen received a boost when a senior FUNCINPEC member, co- minister of defense Tea Chamrath, declared yesterday he was ready to replace the prince and asked loyalist troops to stay calm.

The chairman of the Cambodian national assembly's committee on human rights welcomed ASEAN's decision to postpone the entry.

"It's right because if they recognize the government now, this is not the legal government," Kem Sokha told AFP.

Kem Sokha, a member of the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party (BLDP) faction allied with Prince Ranariddh's royalists, was speaking on arrival in Bangkok after leaving Phnom Penh on an evacuation flight.

A second BLDP MP, Son Chhay of Siem Reap province, echoed Kem Sokha's sentiments. "I think they made the right decision," he said.

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