Thailand rebukes US for diplomat’s comments on freedom

BANGKOK — Thailand’s military government yesterday summoned America’s top diplomat in Bangkok for talks, after a top United States official roiled the junta during a visit by calling for an end to martial law and saying the impeachment of a former Prime Minister could be politically motivated.

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel made the comments in a university speech in Bangkok on Monday.

Yesterday, coup leader-turned-Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he was saddened by the remarks and that”the US does not understand the way we work”.

Thai Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, who met US charge d’affaires Patrick Murphy, said Mr Russel’s comments had hurt many Thais and showed a lack of understanding of the nation’s politics.

“Democracy does not mean only elections. There are many related elements essential to lead the nation to sustainable development,” Mr Don said yesterday. “Although the present government was not elected and is a military one, it does everything in the national interest.”

Mr Don added that Mr Murphy had been summoned to explain the government’s point of view. A spokeswoman for the US Embassy confirmed the two had met, but did not comment further.

Thailand, a long-standing US ally, has been under martial law since the military staged a coup last May.

Last week, Bangkok’s military-appointed legislature voted to ban ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from politics for overseeing a rice-subsidy scheme that had lost billions of dollars. She also faces criminal charges that carry a 10-year prison term.

In a speech to students at Chulalongkorn University on Monday, Mr Russel, America’s highest-level diplomat to visit Thailand since the coup, said the perception of fairness is important to justice.

“I’ll be blunt here: When an elected leader is deposed, impeached by the authorities that implemented the coup, then targeted with criminal charges while basic democratic processes and institutions are interrupted, the international community is left with the impression that these steps could be politically driven,” he said.

Mr Russel also expressed concern over “significant restraints on freedom of expression” in Thailand and said the country’s political process does not represent “all elements of Thai society” — a reference to reforms, including the writing of a new constitution, which are going ahead without input from the popularly elected former ruling party. AGENCIES