Accusing US of complicity |in bombings is reckless and ridiculous
Re: “Is regime change a motive behind the recent bombings?”, Tell It As It Is, August 19.
The United States joins the international community and the people of Thailand in expressing outrage at the bomb and arson attacks on August 11 and 12, and condolences to the victims and their loved ones. In the middle of an ongoing investigation into the attacks, we were surprised to see a conspiracy theory dragged from the fringes of the Internet to The Nation’s op-ed pages. Any suggestion that the US in any way supported these cowardly acts of violence is both ridiculous and reckless.
At the end of the article, the writer poses questions to which the answers are obvious: The US has nothing to gain from a Thailand in turmoil. It has had friendly relations with Thailand for nearly 200 years and been a treaty ally since 1954. Our soldiers have fought together in wars, our police disrupt criminal networks together on a regular basis, and our medical scientists continue to develop life-saving vaccines together that benefit the entire world.
Thailand is a close and valued partner of the US and we desire to see it return soon to a stable, sustainable democracy. We look forward to its next steps in a process to achieve that result. In the meantime, as the Thai government pursues its investigation, the US is prepared to provide, if needed, any assistance we can to help in identifying and catching those actually responsible for these atrocities, as part of our longstanding alliance with the Kingdom.
Peter M Haymond
Charge d’Affaires ad interim,
US Embassy, Bangkok
