Cool response to push for support abroad

Despite the junta insisting most governments understand the reason behind the coup, no country has actually changed its stance in relation to Thailand and its administration. 

Western camps, notably the United States and the European Union (EU), have continued calling for Thailand to restore democracy and respect people’s basic rights. If reforms are undertaken they must be done in an inclusive manner, they say. However, Asian countries, with the exception of Japan, have chosen to remain quiet about Thailand’s domestic situation in order to maintain relations. 

Coup leader and now Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha kicked off his foreign campaign with an official visit to Myanmar, to show that Thailand is placing importance on its immediate neighbour, which is also the Asean chair. 

As expected, Myanmar extended a warm welcome and chose to refrain from discussing Thai affairs. The visit also sent a strong message to the international community that Thailand and the quasi-democracy that is Myanmar are in the same boat in relation to democracy and human rights practices. 

The first international forum Prayut attended was last month, when he joined the Asia-Europe summit (Asem) in Italy. The EU, which chaired the summit, made it clear from the start that it did not wish to be linked to Thailand’s military government. The EU brought all its bilateral high-level cooperation and visits to a halt, even though Prayut was able to go Italy on a multilateral basis. 

Although Thailand’s relations with the EU were not downgraded, contact and cooperation is limited to just technical and official levels. 

While in Milan for Asem, Prayut only officially met counterparts from Asia, who obviously do not mind his type of government. Though Prayut did get to have a chat with British PM David Cameron, it was a brief, informal exchange focused on the killing of two British tourists on Koh Tao. 

Another big forum Prayut attended was the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Beijing. The premier claimed he received a lot of things from the host in terms of bilateral cooperation, notably on rail projects and the purchase of farm products. But these deals are still far from manifesting into reality. The pacts might take some time, maybe after Prayut steps down, unless specifics of the investment deal can be sorted out soon. 

However, things were different with Japan. Prayut claimed his meeting with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Nay Pyi Taw, was fruitful as the latter understood the situation in Thailand and was keen on economic cooperation. This is only partially true because Japan wants to compete with China on economic deals, notably the railway project, but it does not mean that Tokyo has given up its concerns about democracy in Thailand. 

Japanese media reported that during the meeting, Abe repeated his call for Thailand to restore a civilian-led government. In this meeting, which was the second one with Abe after they first met in Italy, Prayut explained the political situation and the need for him to stage a coup. 

He told the Japanese PM Thailand looked forward to economic assistance from Japan, but Tokyo’s interest is more focused on infrastructure projects such as a high-speed train system, Japanese officials said. Also, Prayut’s interest in the high-speed railway is hampered by his supporters’ strong stance against the last government’s plan for the same thing.

During the Asean summit, Prayut also failed to convince UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the need for the coup. Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp, however, only revealed a part of the meeting’s content, saying the UN chief understood Thailand’s situation. In reality, Ban expressed concern about martial law and encouraged Prayut to ensure a prompt return to civilian rule.

Washington has also maintained its position on Thailand, with US President Barack Obama sending a strong message, discouraging the coup leader from using international gatherings to legitimise his military regime.