(For a related Q+A and analysis, click [ID:nBKK413373] and [ID:nBKK461030])

By Martin Petty

BANGKOK, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Thailand and Cambodia are embroiled in a diplomatic stand-off over the appointment of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, on the run from a graft conviction, as an adviser to the Cambodian government.

Rivalry between the two neighbours dates back centuries and tensions are never far from the surface. But ties have sunk to their lowest in almost seven years, with both sides recalling their ambassadors and freezing agreements. [ID:nBKK246900].

WHY HAS THAILAND REACTED SO STRONGLY?

The Thai government sees Thaksin's new job as a slap in the face, but what seems to have irked Bangkok so much is Cambodia's refusal to extradite Thaksin, should a request be made, on the grounds that his graft conviction was politically motivated.

That is seen as an attack on Thailand's judicial system.

There are other reasons, however. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has had enough trouble from the self-exiled Thaksin as it is, and the prospect of him wielding his sizable influence from across the border could hamper his efforts to bring stability to his deeply polarised country. [ID:nBKK452972]

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF TENSIONS?