Hun Sen moves to reassure Taiwan

Hun Sen moves to reassure Taiwan

PHNOM PENH (AFP): Cambodian leader Hun Sen has made fresh attempts to reassure shaken Taiwanese investors that their interests are safe following a sharp decline in relations between here and Taipei, reports said yesterday.

The second prime minister, who ordered the Taiwanese mission here shut last week in an apparent bid to court communist China, met with businessmen from the nationalist island at his home near Phnom Penh Thursday.

Hun Sen "stressed that their investments here would be protected and that the Cambodian government welcomed 'all investors from all countries',"the Cambodia Daily quoted the premier's economic advisor, Suon Sothy, as saying.

The meeting came 10 days after Hun Sen ordered the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office here to shut, alleging it had been sponsoring "terrorism" and supporting his rival co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

Hun Sen ousted the prince after a weekend of factional fighting four weeks ago which also spooked foreign investors.

Taipei is one of Cambodia's top five investors.

The closure of the office here came as Hun Sen appeared to make overtures towards Beijing, stressing his commitment to the "one China" policy which precludes foreign countries from forming links with Taipei.

Beijing considers Taiwan, which split from the mainland after a civil war ended in 1949, to be a renegade province which should be isolated.

Hun Sen has, however, said that although he will not tolerate a Taiwanese "political" presence here, he still welcomes the inflow if Taipei's investment capital, a prospect which analysts say is unlikely to be immediately realized.