KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should not be swayed into believing that its ministers interfered in Thailand’s internal affairs, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic).
The Foreign Minister dismissed opposition claims that the country acted improperly in facilitating talks between Cambodia and Thailand.
“This is being used as political fodder by a small opposition party to gain attention ahead of the upcoming election. It would be unfair and untrue to say that our ministers interfered,” Mohamad told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Nov 27).
He stressed that Malaysia has always upheld Asean’s principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of its member states.
“Since the beginning, Malaysia has respected the sovereignty of all Asean countries. Our role was simply as a facilitator. The border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand has existed for decades, even centuries. It is a bilateral issue and has nothing to do with us,” he said.
Mohamad explained that during an Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in July, he had met both ministers and suggested Malaysia host neutral talks to help the two countries resolve the dispute peacefully.
“The Prime Minister contacted his counterparts from Cambodia and Thailand. Both parties agreed that Malaysia would be a neutral venue for discussions, and I personally witnessed the negotiations.
“Do not be misled into thinking that Malaysia interfered. Our role was and always will be to support peace and dialogue, in line with Asean principles,” Mohamad added.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu) about a recent demonstration at the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok, where a group of individuals accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as Asean Chair, of meddling in Thailand’s sovereignty.
The group, waving Thai flags and banners, demanded that Anwar cease pressuring Thailand to negotiate with Cambodia over the disputed border area, and further accused the Prime Minister of engaging in “political interference.”
They also claimed that Malaysia and the United States were attempting to improperly influence Thailand’s decisions.
