MGR Online — Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand's Foreign Minister, has hit back at Tom Andrews over his human rights report statement on Cambodia that was used to disparage Thailand, calling it a piece of Khmer propaganda.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow held a press conference today (3 Aug.) regarding a statement made by Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, which implicated Thailand in connection with the Thai–Cambodia situation. Sihasak stated that the Thai government does not accept Andrews' statement, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a letter to the UN Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva to set the record straight and to formally contest the statement.
"What Thailand cannot accept is why there was no mention whatsoever of Thailand's losses. Thailand has had civilians killed, hospitals and schools attacked — all initiated by the Cambodian side first. If the report is to be truly fair, it must also present the losses suffered by Thailand."
Sihasak said that Tom Andrews' statement is merely the output of Andrews' own work and does not yet represent the position of the United Nations, as Andrews must first submit the report to the UN Human Rights Council for consideration. It must then be debated and acknowledged by the Human Rights Council. Thailand is a member of the Human Rights Council, and we will challenge that report.
The Foreign Minister said that a UN Special Rapporteur is expected to be neutral, impartial, and unbiased. Andrews' assigned mandate is to report on human rights "within Cambodia," yet Andrews proceeded to make a public statement that implicated Thailand without first verifying the facts with Thailand.
"Cambodia has used Andrews' status as a UN Special Rapporteur as a political tool — amplifying and propagandising by selectively picking out certain issues relating to Thailand." Sihasak stated that Cambodia's actions run contrary to the agreement reached between the leaders of both countries, who had agreed to refrain from attacking each other, yet Cambodia has continued to smear Thailand without let-up.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement contesting Andrews' claim that more than 650,000 Cambodian nationals had been internally displaced. The Thai side clarified that the figure cited is not accurate, because those Cambodians are residing in areas that Thailand previously opened as temporary shelter zones in the late 1970s — an act of humanitarian assistance by Thailand — and that after the end of the war in Cambodia, those Cambodians did not vacate the areas despite Thailand having lodged protests with the Cambodian side on multiple occasions. They are therefore considered persons who have encroached upon Thai territory and do not fall under the definition of internally displaced persons.
"Those Cambodians have been encroaching on Thai territory since the civil war — they are 'Cambodian villages' within Thai territory. It is the responsibility of the Cambodian government to look after its own citizens. During the period of clashes, Thailand also evacuated more than 400,000 Thai civilians."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also contested Tom Andrews' claim that the Thai–Cambodia conflict had caused as many as 900,000 Cambodian workers to return home from Thailand. On this matter, Thailand clarified that the Cambodian workers who returned to their country included both those who had been legally authorised to work and those who had entered to work illegally, and that the workers returned to Cambodia voluntarily following an invitation by the Cambodian government. The Thai government has consistently pledged to prioritise the safety and welfare of Cambodian workers in Thailand, and has never had a policy of expelling Cambodian workers from the country.
Sihasak commented that Tom Andrews had previously served as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, and that his reports have tended to be full of "colour" — going well beyond the facts. Andrews is being used as a tool by the Cambodian government to defame Thailand. The Foreign Minister stressed that the actions of the Cambodian government will only serve to further damage bilateral relations and to foreclose opportunities for peaceful negotiation to resolve the conflict.
