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Thailand summons US chargé d’affaires over remarks

Sunday, 01 February 2015 10:11 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 01 February 2015 10:12 AM ]

US chargé d’affairs in Bangkok Murphy (L) sits with Thai deputy FM Don Pramudwi on January 28, 2015.

Thailand’s military government has summoned the US chargé d’affaires to voice Bangkok’s objection to what it calls Washington’s attempts to intervene in the county’s domestic political affairs.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly (NLA) sent a letter to W. Patrick Murphy, asking the American diplomat to appear before a parliamentary panel by February 11, local media reported on Sunday.

The panel’s deputy chair Kitti Wasinondh said Murphy, who is acting as caretaker head of the US mission in the absence of an American ambassador to Thailand, would meet with the committee’s members to discuss recent remarks made by a senior US official.

During a visit to Thailand last week, US Assistant State Secretary for Asia and the Pacific Daniel Russell called for the lifting of Thailand’s ongoing martial law and cast doubts on the legitimacy of NLA’s impeachment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Kitti said Russell’s political comments had drawn concern from Bangkok and the committee wanted an explanation. The Thai government has said the remarks amounted to interference in local affairs.

He also said the panel would seek an explanation from Murphy as to why US diplomats traveled to the country’s northeastern Udon Thani province on January 29 and sought a meeting with anti-government protesters. Kitti described the visit by the US officials at this moment as “inappropriate.”

This is the second time Murphy is summoned by Thai officials in a week. On January 28, the country’s Foreign Ministry called in the US official to express “disappointment” over comments made by Russell while visiting the country.

Russell is the highest ranking US official to visit Thailand since the military took over power in a coup that followed months of political unrest and a disputed election in May 2014.

Shinawatra was impeached late last week and banned from politics for five years. She faces criminal charges over allegations of corruption. She was widely accused of using her political office to facilitate the return of her deposed brother and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

CAH/MKA

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