Anwar: More Asean monitors, not foreign interference

KUALA LUMPUR: The proposal to deploy additional international observers to monitor the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand was not intended as external interference but stemmed from concerns over the limited number of monitors currently on the ground.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said additional personnel could be drawn from defence officers or Asean embassy representatives in the affected countries if the current team is deemed insufficient.

He said that the Asean Interim Observer Team (IOT) currently consisted of only 10 members based in Bangkok and two in Phnom Penh.

“We need to increase the number of observers. For now, we can draw from defence personnel and embassy staff. If that is still not enough, we can deploy from regional bases to support this effort,” he told reporters after officiating the Asean Law Forum here today.

Anwar, who is also Asean chairman, said that the proposal was neither a form of pressure nor a political manoeuvre, but an effort to strengthen monitoring capacity and ensure the ceasefire is fully respected.

“The official statement only mentioned that we could start with embassy staff. So I believe this matter can be further examined and should not pose a problem,” he added.

Earlier, it was reported that Anwar‘s proposal was rejected by Thailand’s acting Prime Minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, who maintained that the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia was a bilateral matter that should not be interfered with by external parties.

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