Received an email today from the contributor I mentioned last week who is in Cambodia putting together a piece on recent (and he suggests growing) Thai-Cambodian tensions. Or at least that’s where the story is heading now, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen saying yesterday that Thaksin is to give a lecture in the country Thursday night.
There’s a certain irony in the subject–economics–for a man accused of policy corruption on a massive scale (though to be fair Transparency International’s corruption rating for Thailand improved during the Thaksin years). And Thailand has responded by saying it will consider taking tougher action against Thaksin if it believes he is trying to foment unrest from across the border.
Fears over a possible escalation in tensions have apparently even prompted some Cambodians to rush across the border to Thailand to purchase consumer goods over fears of a border checkpoint closure, though Thai soldiers have been telling tourists the checkpoint will remain open.