ABOVE: U.S. Charge d’affaires W. Patrick Murphy (front center, left) and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel (front center, right) at Chulalongkorn University on Monday. Photo: U.S. State Department
Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha ordered the top U.S. diplomat stationed in Thailand to express the junta’s unhappiness over comments made by a visiting, high-level official from the U.S. State Department.
Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said the United States interfered in Thailand’s domestic politics and had “wounded” Thai people with strong words he had for the kingdom’s military rulers.
Those complaints likely stemmed from visiting state department officials Daniel Russel’s criticism of the retroactive impeachment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, which he said could be perceived as “politically driven.” Russel also said in comments to the New York Times the junta was “losing credibility” with Thailand’s international partners.
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Russel is the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and the highest-level American official to visit Thailand since the coup.
Much as many academics, dissidents and journalists have been “invited” to “improve understanding” with the junta, Don said U.S. Charge d’affaires W. Patrick Murphy was “invited” to the meeting “as Bangkok wanted to explain the facts of the political situations [sic] in Thailand,” The Nation reported.
Murphy has served as the top diplomat at the U.S. Embassy since former Ambassador Kristie Kenney vacated her post this past November.
No immediate response or statement was available from the U.S. Embassy.
