Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has used the occasion of Pita Limjaroenrat’s failure to win the Thai prime ministerial vote to attack the opposition in his own country.
But the veteran strongman insists he is not meddling in Thai politics and is willing to work with Mr Pita if he and his Move Forward Party (MFP) form the next government in Thailand.
The comments came just a few weeks after the Cambodian premier falsely claimed that Move Forward had a policy to repatriate migrant workers to neighbouring countries.
“I declare today that Pita’s failure to get enough votes to be Thai prime minister is a major failure of the brute opposition in Cambodia,” Hun Sen wrote in a post on his Twitter account on Thursday night.
“This does not mean that I am interfering in Thailand’s internal affairs. My point is that in the past, these traitors always expected that when Pita becomes the prime minister of Thailand, they would use Thai territory to campaign against the Royal Government of Cambodia.
“Now the expectations of the brute opposition group have vanished like salt in water. Do not take part in politics that depend on somebody else.”
The implication appears to be that under a Move Forward government, Thailand might be less inclined to deport political dissidents from other countries, especially its authoritarian neighbours. Earlier this month, a member of the opposition Candlelight Party of Cambodia was arrested in Bangkok and sent to an immigration detention centre. His current status is not known.
The earlier tweet from Hun Sen appears to have been deleted, but it was followed on Friday by a clarification in which he wrote: “I am not against Mr Pita and am ready to work together in the event that Mr Pita leads the Thai government.
“I respect the decisions of the Thai people and will not interfere in the internal affairs of Thailand. I am ready to work with Thai leaders no matter who or what party they come from.
“Extremist Khmer groups using Thai territory for activities against Cambodia, including using the name of Mr Pita for political gain, should stop this action. Who relies on the breath of others to destroy their own nation?”
Hun Sen himself is facing an election on July 23 but the outcome is already known. The Election Commission earlier banned the only meaningful opposition party remaining and a court upheld the ban.
Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won every seat in the 2018 national election after a court dissolved the Cambodia National Rescue Party.