Thailand has recalled its ambassador to Cambodia after Phnom Penh gave a job to fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, accusing its neighbour of interfering in its politics and stoking tensions.
The Cambodian government said last night that it had appointed Thaksin as an economics adviser, riling Bangkok, which is trying to bring Mr Thaksin home to face justice three years after he was ousted in a coup.
Ties between the two predominantly Buddhist nations have been strained since July 2008 amid an ongoing border conflict over land surrounding an 11th century temple which has claimed several lives.
‘We have recalled the ambassador as the first diplomatic retaliation measure to let the Cambodian government know the dissatisfaction of the Thai people,’ Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters.
‘Last night's announcement by the Cambodian government harmed the Thai justice system and really affected Thai public sentiment,’ Abhisit said.
Mr Abhisit said aid to Cambodia would also be halted, but checkpoints on the disputed border between the two countries would remain open and ‘people-to-people relations would not be affected’.
There was no immediate reaction from Cambodia.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen first floated the job offer forMr Thaksin at a summit of Asian leaders last month, and the official announcement, made by royal decree, came on state television.
Mr Thaksin remains a hugely influential figure in Thailand, where he has stirred up mass protests by the so-called ‘Red Shirt’ movement against Abhisit's government in the past year.
Mr Thaksin, who is believed to spend much of his time in Dubai, said in a Twitter posting that he thanked Hun Sen for the appointment but still wanted to work for Thailand's well-being.
