Friends are for reminding us
One of the greatest values of my closest friends is that, if I do something significantly wrong, they will be frank in telling me so. I always take their advice seriously because I know the spirit in which it is given, sincerely thank them for telling me
Thus, when one of Thailand’s closest friends, the United States, tells us through its assistant secretary of state that the deposition and impeachment of our elected premier following a coup gives the international community the “impression” that the motive is political, we should say thank you. We should give the advice serious consideration.
If, as our Foreign Ministry claims, virtually the whole world supports our junta, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha could have just given Mr Russel video clips of their heads of state approving our prolonged imposition of martial law, the silencing of dissent, etc. That would prove that the international community stands behind us 90-plus per cent. Of course, if, in fact, the other countries haven’t voiced such support publicly, then Mr Russel’s advice should be all that much more valuable to us.
Burin Kantabutra
