Vint is right to criticise the US’ unfriendly stance towards Thailand, a long-established ally. 

America did not show the depth of consideration worthy of a good friend and ally. Burin Kantabutra, while correctly maintaining that friends should tell the truth, warts and all, seems to have overlooked the importance of establishing the truth.

US foreign policy during the last decade has left a lot to be desired, and not only in Thailand. There was no consideration of the fact that, prior to last year’s coup, Thailand was in a state of lawlessness. It had become a failed state, without law enforcement and threatened with military-style weapons in 2010 and 2013/14. The only solution was a military coup. Fortunately it has proved to be the most benign in history.

The international rulebook of the US must state that military coups are wrong. Based on this rule, Thailand is wrong. A really good friend would have searched beyond this simplistic approach and questioned what caused the coup. All that was heard from the US was a call to return to democracy as soon as possible. Here we return to the rulebook of the CIA, where it says Thailand is a democracy. This confirmed that US foreign policy was correct. The coup had overthrown a democracy. That’s unforgivable, is it not? But the truth is completely different.

The US failed to establish the truth and, as a result, is damaging the strongest friendship it has ever had in Southeast Asia. It’s always advisable to do your homework before jumping to conclusions.

JC Wilcox