Time for ASEAN to act

Time for ASEAN to act

When government forces captured the last stronghold of troops
loyal to deposed co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh on Sunday,
it signaled Second Prime Minister Hun Sen's ascendance to de
facto ruler of Cambodia.

But fighting between warring factions could continue for
months. Hun Sen, in his bid to consolidate power, has pledged to
stamp out the dwindling Khmer Rouge rebels who have taken sides
with Ranariddh in the current power struggle.

Moreover, as Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy said
yesterday: "O Smach may fall at any time because even steel can
be pierced ... but there are likely to be many other O'Smachs all
over Cambodia which will show the determination of the Cambodian
people to resist (Hun Sen's) tyranny."

As a result, all previous efforts to bring peace and stability
to a war-torn Cambodia may have been to no avail. This is despite
the work of the international community, including the United
Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia in the late 1980s and
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the early
1990s.

Judging from the latest developments in Cambodia, it is high
time for ASEAN to step in and, when necessary, exercise its
influence to solve the Cambodian problem. ASEAN, despite its
policy of non-intervention in a country's internal problems, can
no longer remain a spectator.

ASEAN could perhaps persuade or insist Hun Sen allow Ranariddh
to return and take part in the general elections, which are
scheduled for next May. The prince's return would be on the
condition that he does not have to face trial for alleged illegal
collaboration with the outlawed Khmer Rouge.

If Hun Sen agrees, he will be demonstrating his solidarity to
ASEAN. Cambodia would have become a member of the association had
it not been for the bloody ousting of Ranariddh early last month.

The prince's return would also allow Hun Sen to show the
international community that the scheduled elections will be
carried out freely and fairly. This would ease the tension among
coalition factions and prompt them to iron out their differences
peacefully.

ASEAN, therefore, should not hesitate to make a more concerted
effort and take concrete steps to help solve the Cambodian
problem. Even if its actions are interpreted as intervention it
is, nevertheless, a constructive move which will benefit the
region.

In a world being condensed by globalization, no one country
can solve its problems in isolation, especially if the problems
include armed conflict which threatens to spill-over and
compromise the security of other nations.

Although the number of Cambodian refugees who fled into
Thailand was less than last decade -- between 21,000 and 30,000
compared to some 400,000 in the late 1980s -- it is already a
burden for the Bangkok government.

ASEAN's help and intervention, obviously, are needed to rein
in the armed conflicts.

Cambodia's long history resembles a maze through which the
country has been stalked by successive revolutions and civil
wars.

International and regional power politics must ensure that the
current civil war does not escalate, thereby threatening peace
and security in the region.