Thai authorities engaged in filthier maneuver!
Thai authorities engaged in filthier maneuver!
What appeared to make today’s headlines in the Thai media, involving online scam network allegations against Kok An with the maneuver to link it to Senate President Hun Sen, presents nothing new for those who closely monitor the Thai politics. They hence clearly realized that the Thai leadership is indeed a crook who plays dirtier tricks.
What happened today is seen as nothing more than a dishonest deception that the country’s leaders exercise to cover up their own disgrace and to shift the blame onto Cambodia, just as they have done in the past.
It is worth noting that in recent days, Thailand has been facing severe situations related to online scam — to the extent that some Thai experts and politicians have described the country as being in a state of emergency due to the discovery of an unimaginable but alarmingly large number of online criminal networks in Thailand. This is the reason why the ill-minded Thai officials — had tried to figure out how to mask their own disgrace and potentially put the blame onto Cambodia. If such incidents occur along the border, it is much practical for the Thai authorities to put the blame on Cambodia by just arbitrarily accusing that the criminal groups had crossed the border from Cambodia, just like what they have done in the past.
However, all of the recent incidents have occurred deep inside Thai territory, far from the Cambodian border. Therefore, there is only one way left to resort to: setting up accusations to frame the businessmen who have ties with the Cambodian leader, by using the “killing two birds with one stone” tactic by firstly shifting the blame onto Cambodia, and then secondly, damaging the reputation of Cambodian leaders, especially Hun Sen, with baseless accusations just by simply framing the close connection that Kok An has with Hun Sen. This trick is far too obvious and no different from what Khmer extremist groups have been doing.
Taking a closer look, the actions of Thai authorities are no different from holding people as hostages. Border disputes are suddenly being extended to target businessmen — something that is unimaginable and should have never happened. One might reasonably ask: if Kok An was really involved in online scam networks, then why didn’t the Thai authorities take action against him long time ago? Why did it arise at the time when tensions between Cambodia and Thailand over border are escalating? Everyone knows that Kok An has been doing business in Thailand for a very long time, owning properties and operating several businesses in Thailand.
Such hostage politics should have never been adopted, as it severely undermines investors’ confidence. People, in both Cambodia and Thailand, are constantly coming and going back and forth for business. Cambodian leaders, including Prime Minister Hun Manet and Senate President Hun Sen, have clearly stated that border disputes must not escalate to spill over into other areas. Hun Sen has even called for no discrimination against Thais and no boycott of Thai goods. This shows that the Cambodian leaders are far more mature than the Thai counterparts. In contrast, Thai leaders, both civilian and military, have always reacted with a great lack of maturity and have increasingly engaged in a more poisonous and dirtier tricks.
By Professor Vong Makara
