US wants Thailand to again play strong role
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CONTROVERSIAL DIPLOMAT RUSSEL URGES GOVT TO RESTORE FULL RIGHT OF EXPRESSION
THE United States yesterday emphasised its desire to see Thailand “successfully” reform itself so the country can once again play a strong role in the region.
Daniel Russel, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, conveyed that message during a meeting with Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the Foreign Ministry.
Russel led a US delegation to Bangkok to attend the 5th Thailand-US Strategic Dialogue on Wednesday.
In January, he became the first senior US official to visit Thailand after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha took over power in a May 2014 coup while serving as Army chief.
At the time, he criticised the Prayut government, the administration’s reform road map and legal actions against former PM Yingluck Shinawatra, labelling the latter politically driven.
The government responded by summoning the US charge d’affairs and voicing its disapproval over the comments.
Speaking at a press briefing after the meeting with Don yesterday, Russel said the government should provide people with full right of expression in the name of basic human rights.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry revealed that Don and Russel discussed bilateral relations this year, which they agreed had improved as a result of frequent meetings between both sides.
These include a close cooperation with the new US Ambassador to Thailand, Glyn Davies, and the visits to Thailand by high-level US officials, particularly in the second half of this year, it said.
The Foreign Ministry said both sides were determined to cooperate on various issues and enhance Thai-US relations in all dimensions, whether in security, economically or people-to-people relations.
It said the US wanted to see Thailand return to being a democracy and successful in order to fully realise the “extraordinary potential of this great relationship”.
Speaking at the same press conference, Don said Russel did not raise the lese majeste law.
Don said some countries had the law while other others had their own unique laws.
Ambassador Davies, who was also at the meeting, had expressed concern about what he called the unprecedented prison terms handed down using lese majeste under Section 112 of the Criminal Code. Davies said no one should be jailed for peacefully expressing their opinion.
