Behind deadly clashes, a bitter spat between two dynastic leaders

Personal feud between Thaksin and Hun Sen is inflaming worst border violence in over a decade

- Sui-Lee Wee

SURIN PROVINCE, Thailand - After his daughter was sidelined from political office by a damaging phone call with Cambodia's leader in July, Thai power broker Thaksin Shinawatra broke his silence to a roomful of politicians and journalists. He had a stunning message to deliver: His decades-long relationship with Cambodian strongman Hun Sen was over.

"I used to be close to him - like brothers," Thaksin said. "But after what he did to my daughter, I was shocked. How could this even happen?"

For years, many had believed that the personal relationship between Thaksin, 75, and Mr Hun Sen, 72, would be the glue holding the two neighbours together despite an intractable border dispute.

Both were among Southeast Asia's most seasoned politicians, bound by a friendship spanning 33 years and by their shared dynastic ambitions, with children who were elevated to power within a year of each other.

Now, a rift has opened up between the two men, bewildering even Thaksin himself and shocking insiders. And the fallout has been severe, with Thai and Cambodian troops exchanging fire in the deadliest clashes in over a decade. Analysts say they worry that the animosities could spiral out of control.

"I was surprised how two close friends for so many years ended up practically overnight in such an escalation," said Mr Kantathi Suphamongkhon, who was Thailand's foreign minister from 2005 to 2006 when Thaksin was premier. "This is something that I never expected — how that friendship can break apart so spectacularly."

In the hours after fighting began on July 24, Thaksin and Mr Hun Sen lobbed insults at each other on social media. Thaksin said many countries had offered to mediate, but that he wanted to "let the Thai military do their duty to teach Hun Sen a lesson about his cunning ways first".