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| Southeast Asia |
| Cambodia canât afford riot damage bill |
| 2003-03-13 |
| Cambodia cannot afford to pay Thailand the $50 million it wants in damages for riots that destroyed the Thai embassy and plunged relations to their lowest level in decades, parliament chief Prince Norodom Ranariddh said on Thursday. If you can't afford it, maybe you shouldn't do it... The comment by the National Assembly president and head of the royalist FUNCINPEC party, a junior partner in Cambodiaâs ruling coalition, came as Thailand prepared to submit its final bill for the January 29 night of violence to Phnom Penh. About a dozen Thai-owned businesses were also destroyed in the chaos. âI do not see any possibilities for the Royal Government of Cambodia to pay for it,â Ranariddh told Reuters in a interview on Thursday, speaking of the estimated $50 million bill. âI hope the government will not simply go out and get loans.â His comments are likely to further sour relations between the two Southeast Asian nations who are struggling to patch up ties. Their border remains closed after the riots and diplomatic relations have been downgraded. Phnom Penh blames âextremistsâ for inflaming nationalist passions on the night with false rumours about an attack on the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok. "Boy, it sure is boring here in Phnom Penh. Whaddya say we act like Pakistanis for a day or two?" Cambodia is dependent on aid for almost half of government spending and ranks amongst the poorest nations on earth. Speculation about alternatives to a cash payment among diplomats and analysts have ranged from tax concessions to giving away land in the capital to Thai businesses. With annual revenues of less than $1 billion, the estimated bill for the night of anti-Thai rioting represents around five percent of Cambodiaâs total government spending. Thailand is expected to announce its final assessment of the damage later on Thursday, and analysts expect the bill to be higher than initial estimates of $50 million made in the immediate aftermath of the riots. âI do hope it is not too heavy and hard for the poor budget of the Royal Government of Cambodia,â Ranariddh said. Really, you have to feel sorry for them. Except when they're rioting... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 That was one hell of a block party! |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-03-13 22:10:40 |