US envoy snubs NLA's foreign affairs committee
US charge d'affaires in Thailand Patrick Murphy has declined to meet with the National Legislative Assembly's foreign affairs committee on Wednesday.
According to the United States, there is no regulation that allows it to send the charge d’affaires to talk to the NLA.
Chukiart Rattanachaichan, the NLA spokesman, yesterday said: “The US Embassy has already informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the charge d’affaires could not attend the meeting.”
He said that the NLA had been informed about the decision and understood the reasoning behind it. He said that the NLA had hoped to exchange views with Murphy as it had done with officials from a number of embassies, including Switzerland, Australia and Hungary.
Chukiart said that the NLA would not try to arrange another meeting with Murphy.
Last week a speech by Daniel Russel, the visiting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, added to the diplomatic tension between Thailand and the US after he called for a “broader and more inclusive” political process.
Subsequently, Murphy met with Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai to talk about the top official’s speech.
It appears the tension remains despite the US not returning to the issue.
