THE peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia is in tatters now following a land mine explosion that injured four Thai soldiers along the border.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced yesterday (Nov 10) that the peace accord will be suspended until such time that Cambodia truly honours the treaty that was signed on Oct 26 on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting in Kuala Lumpur witnessed by the US President Donald Trump.
Back then, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia was praised by Trump for facilitating the peace talks.
Yet hardly one month has expired and the peace accord is in tatters. The Thai government has made it known that until clarity emerges over the peace deal, the peace deal remains suspended.
Anwar, who rode on the popularity of the peace deal, seems to be rather quiet.
The suspension of the peace accord comes in the wake of allegations by former Thai armed forces general Rangsi Kitiyansap that Anwar messed up the peace deal by allowing the US to have an upper hand in the truce by securing its economic interests.
Anwar’s role as the peacemaker in the Thai-Cambodian dispute seems to be rather ephemeral. Although he was praised for the peace accord, nobody is really sure what was his contribution.
Given the collapse of the peace accord and the serious allegations levelled at Anwar by Rangsi, there is a need to question his role.
It looks like he promoted US economic and strategic interests in the region rather than respecting the neutrality of ASEAN.
At the same time, the so-called reciprocal trade deal between the US and Malaysia has come under serious scrutiny.
Close and careful reading of the trade agreement would indicate that the government headed by Anwar has allowed for the US to deprive the country’s economic sovereignty.
The trade deal meant to thwart the economic and strategic interests of China has rendered Malaysia subservient to the US.
The peace accord and the trade deal taken together have sacrificed the interests of ASEAN as a whole.
Even the former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed regret that ASEAN under the chairmanship of Malaysia has veered away from the path of neutrality and non-alignment.
It is painful to accept that Malaysia as the chair of ASEAN under the leadership of Anwar has been a big blow to the principles and values of neutrality in the region.
By acting on behalf of the US, Anwar has thrown away the values of ASEAN that made it a responsible regional bloc since its formation in 1967.
Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.
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