The US is not biased: US State Department; Thai-US relations

[LevelHead]

Well, the anti-democracy, whistle blowing, anti-vote people managed to get themselves into the Wall Street Journal, see photo below.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Be9Kiw6CUAAvP3k.jpg

.

[Cricketnut]

The statement does not mention the now caretaker government at all. Before I remember they did mention the "elected government".

Means they accept the possibility of it being gone at some point. Of course they will then befriend the new government, whatever signature it has. After all geopolitics say Thailand is the last stand against islam in the region.

That's a bit laughable with Thailand being roughly 95% Buddhist along with Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, and India being a Hindu majority state. One wonders where these spurious comments come from. I think some Geography lessons are the order of the day here....

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE 8.2 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Time Traveller]

Who cares about the US opinion really? Let them solve their own mess...

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Apparently the Thai protesters care

[Snig27]

From day one the USA has made it clear it supports the elected government. That was the appropriate response at the time and its position has not changed. I very much doubt that the Suthep antics are high on the Washington agenda. They support the status quo.

They only support this one on the technical issue that it won and election and formed a government.

And that is not the same as supporting Thaksin, or PTP, or specifically Yingluck as PM.

Quite right, but it's hardly a technical issue - it's called democracy. If the Dems want to stand and they win, then the US would likely support them as the elected government. If the elected government was forced out and replaced by this unknown, to be appointed, council of Suthep's henchmen (let's hope they are vastly smarter than that letter to Obama proved him to be) then all sorts of things go into play in the US, not least various laws that automatically apply to dealing with Thailand and restrict such dealings. There are also restrictions on military ties and support.

In an election year in the US all these things matter. Obama would have two choices. 1) try and override such restrictions. Unlikely this year for obvious reasons, or 2) at least pay lip service to them, which would be a disaster for Thailand economically and militarily. Thailand would be a semi-pariah state as it was from 2006 to 2011.

[bigbamboo]

A similar situation to what is happening in Thailand is now developing in Cambodia where the elected government is being challenged by a significant element of the population because of the perceived endemic corruption.

It will be interesting to see which side the US decide to back there.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

someone in government told my wife that the current Thai administration has defaulted on some kind of loan made by the US to Thailand

they have not paid anything for 5 months

maybe that's why they are so interested in the situation and support Yingluck

they want to get paid.....

They can fall in line behind the rice farmers.

[GAS]

Why does anyone even care what the US gov't thinks? Let me clue you in, the American people HATE the US gov't! Congress has a 9% (NINE!) approval rating, we know they are spying on all of us and doing a bunch of illegal stuff including droning innocent children all over the world.

If the US takes anyone's side in a conflict you can be pretty sure that the opposite side is far more just.

The rest of the world has pretty much had it with America...they hang on with the reserve currency and a strong military...that's it!

[Ulysses G.]

The US will support whoever wins the VOTE. That leaves out the side that is trying to prevent it from happening.

WRONG: The US supports whoever best serves their interests in the region. If you don't believe, look at their history of supporting people like Saddam Hussein and an endless list of bana-republic dictators over the years. If the favored regime manages to pull of some semblance of an election victory, all the better.

Don't be silly. You are talking about countries that do not even pretend to be democratic and America is not responsible for their political system. Thailand already has the vote and the USA will back the side that wins it.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[Snig27]

A similar situation to what is happening in Thailand is now developing in Cambodia where the elected government is being challenged by a significant element of the population because of the perceived endemic corruption.

It will be interesting to see which side the US decide to back there.

I think it's quite different. Firstly the election in Thailand was internationally seen to be far, far cleaner despite the way it's portrayed within the protest movement. Secondly Thailand is regarded as a substantially more advanced nation. The UN no longer regards it as developing - it's classed as mid income developed. Thirdly Thailand has a relatively modern and well equipped military (argue with that all you like but it's a fact). Fourth, outside the protest movement this is not really seen as a significant element, at least as a percentage of the electorate. I know those blowing whistles would disagree but they are a smallish minority in Thailand.

Thailand and Cambodia are not seen as parallels or at all similar by the Western powers - there is a huge gulf between the two situations.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Snig27

[fab4]

This is just the boiler plate must be said reiteration of the stock state department stance on elections and governance.

Behind the scenes I am sure they know the lay and play for pay of the land, are are just waiting to see how things shake out.

Yes, they will deal with which ever government comes out on top,

but less easily if one is not 'legitimate' in some arcane philosophical calculation.

Presumably by a government regarded as

"legitimate in some arcane philosophical calculation",

what you really mean, is one democratically voted in by the Thai electorate in an Royally decreed Election?

It has SFA to do with "arcane philosophy", it's an established democratic practice.

Edited January 27, 2014 by fab4

[SaamBaht]

I'm sure Americans are appalled at seeing voting precincts blocked. A reminder of their not too distant past. If it happened today, not only would police break up any protest, but voters themselves would attack!

When someone breaks the law in the US, and works outside Wall Street and Hollywood, the domestic armed forces will stop at nothing in apprehending the suspects.

Does anyone remember the final chase in the movie the Blues Brothers? "Unnecessary violence in apprehending Elwood and Jake Blues has been approved."

[Basil B]

Yes I believe America is not biased just like the do not spy on foreign companies for the benefit of their own.

America has only on interest in this dispute and that is to feather their own nest.

[Dogmatix]

The US is not biased but always supports the principles of one man, one vote, except in cases where this results in a regime that is not supportive of US interests, e.g. in today's world Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrein, Yemen, Israel, the UAE etc and in the past Greece, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, Guatamala, Thailand and other hotbeds of fascism in the 60s-80s. What a great record!

Edited January 27, 2014 by Dogmatix

[Snig27]

The US is not biased but always supports the principles of one man, one vote, except in cases where this results in a regime that is not supportive of US interests, e.g. in today's world Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrein, Yemen, Israel, the UAE etc and in the past Greece, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, Guatamala, Thailand and other hotbeds of fascism in the 60s-80s. What a great record!

True the record is pretty awful when it comes to supporting nasty regimes in years past but rare is the case in recent years (to the point where I can't think of one) where the US has backed the removal of such rights and a democratically elected government to allow the establishment of the sort of totalitarian state Suthep will bring.

Suthep was a failed and very corrupt politician and we already know what the US thinks of him from the wikileaks documents. He was complicit in Thaksin's human rights excesses and deaths, and a whole raft of other pretty heinous deeds. If anyone really thinks the US will roll over and accept him or his council because it's "in their interest" you are in la la land. If Yingluck is rolled a whole raft of shit goes down behind the scenes and publically, none of which is business as usual.

[fstarbkk]

The US will support whoever wins the VOTE. That leaves out the side that is trying to prevent it from happening.

WRONG: The US supports whoever best serves their interests in the region. If you don't believe, look at their history of supporting people like Saddam Hussein and an endless list of bana-republic dictators over the years. If the favored regime manages to pull of some semblance of an election victory, all the better.

Don't be silly. You are talking about countries that do not even pretend to be democratic and America is not responsible for their political system. Thailand already has the vote and the USA will back the side that wins it.

Yeah, unless some inconvenient, possibly anti-american, people win the election. In that case they have a habit of taking corrective action via the CIA, or whatever means necessary.

[ggold]

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions, not just this weekend, but in the weeks leading up to this. Suthep's letter to Obama underlined this mental chasm and must have caused guffaws in DC for the moment it was distributed before being binned.

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions

The real joke is that you think the whole world finds this abhorrent! Considering how PTP have used the views of the USA to support their refusal to delay elections and continue their reckless pillaging of state coffers in the name of democracy shows just how much you understand of what is going on.

[webfact]

US calls for end to violence following election disruptions



BANGKOK, 27 January 2014 (NNT) - The U.S. State Department issued a statement on Sunday saying it was deeply troubled by efforts to block polls and otherwise prevent voting in Thailand.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement that while the US does not take sides in the political dispute and strongly supports freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest, it deems the PDRC’s action preventing citizens from voting violates their universal rights and is inconsistent with democratic values.

They reiterate their call for all sides to refrain from violence, exercise restraint, and commit to sincere dialogue to resolve differences peacefully and democratically.

Anti-government protesters disrupted most voting in Bangkok on Sunday, raising tensions for the week ahead. The Election Commission said 440,000 people were unable to cast advance votes as 89 of the 375 constituencies nationally were closed.


-- NNT 2014-01-27

[ggold]

The US will support whoever wins the VOTE. That leaves out the side that is trying to prevent it from happening.

WRONG: The US supports whoever best serves their interests in the region. If you don't believe, look at their history of supporting people like Saddam Hussein and an endless list of bana-republic dictators over the years. If the favored regime manages to pull of some semblance of an election victory, all the better.

Don't be silly. You are talking about countries that do not even pretend to be democratic and America is not responsible for their political system. Thailand already has the vote and the USA will back the side that wins it.

Yeah, unless some inconvenient, possibly anti-american, people win the election. In that case they have a habit of taking corrective action via the CIA, or whatever means necessary.

I wonder which ones are anti American, would that be PTP or the Democrat Party? Maybe you mean the red shirt communists. Or maybe none as I think you'll find that the political parties are all pro USA, rightly or wrongly! They are just anti Falang when it suits them to be.

Edited January 27, 2014 by ggold

[newcomer71]

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions, not just this weekend, but in the weeks leading up to this. Suthep's letter to Obama underlined this mental chasm and must have caused guffaws in DC for the moment it was distributed before being binned.

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions

The real joke is that you think the whole world finds this abhorrent! Considering how PTP have used the views of the USA to support their refusal to delay elections and continue their reckless pillaging of state coffers in the name of democracy shows just how much you understand of what is going on.

Show me one link, even one only of a foreign press statement where yesterdays anti-protester actions were justified or supported. One only.

Oh yes, if you not find it maybe all the rest of the world is red shirt, or blindfolded or paid by PTP...

I'm totally against any form of violence, and denying the right to vote is a form of violence. One of the worst in any democracy.

That this government is a shame for themselves is obviously true, but what is happening is out of this world, and who backs up the action of denying the right to vote, is unjustifiable.

Edited January 27, 2014 by newcomer71

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

LOL. From the land of poll tax and voter ID laws.

[ggold]

The US is not biased but always supports the principles of one man, one vote, except in cases where this results in a regime that is not supportive of US interests, e.g. in today's world Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrein, Yemen, Israel, the UAE etc and in the past Greece, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, Guatamala, Thailand and other hotbeds of fascism in the 60s-80s. What a great record!

I question your list of countries! Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Israel and the UAE, even up to recently Egypt all support the USA or visa-versa Of which Israel is a democratic country and Egypt is struggling to get there!

[ggold]

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions, not just this weekend, but in the weeks leading up to this. Suthep's letter to Obama underlined this mental chasm and must have caused guffaws in DC for the moment it was distributed before being binned.

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions

The real joke is that you think the whole world finds this abhorrent! Considering how PTP have used the views of the USA to support their refusal to delay elections and continue their reckless pillaging of state coffers in the name of democracy shows just how much you understand of what is going on.

Show me one link, even one only of a foreign press statement where yesterdays anti-protester actions were justified or supported. One only.

Oh yes, if you not find it maybe all the rest of the world is red shirt, or blindfolded or paid by PTP...

I'm totally against any form of violence, and denying the right to vote is a form of violence. One of the worst in any democracy.

That this government is a shame for themselves is obviously true, but what is happening is out of this world, and who backs up the action of denying the right to vote, is unjustifiable.

I am not talking about what the press report! only the idea that the whole world find it abhorrent, If one compares it to the Ukraine then what is happening in Thailand is a picnic in the park. In fact I would suggest that the Ukraine is more of a worry for the west Than Thailand will ever be.

Edited January 27, 2014 by ggold

[LarryBird]

And cue up the Anti-American sentiment. Most popular things to attack on Thai Visa: Missionaries and America. With the American Missionary drawing the most hate.

As an American, I would gladly reduce tax expenditures on our military. In fact, I wish we spent $0 on military. Is the rest of the world OK with this? Are we all ok with the next most powerful nation becoming the most powerful? Do we entrust their values and sense of judgment on world policy?

[citizen33]

Show me one link, even one only of a foreign press statement where yesterdays anti-protester actions were justified or supported. One only.

I am not talking about what the press report! only the idea that the whole world find it abhorrent.

It is still interesting though to see what the world press is reporting. I googled 'Thai protesters block polls' (plus a couple of variants), and found remarkable unanimity. Perhaps a little disappointingly, English language publications in several countries were printing re-badged versions of the same basic story without using their own primary reportage. It is not the story that the anti-government camp like to put forward. I would say that Thailand's international image went down a few more notches.

[Snig27]

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions, not just this weekend, but in the weeks leading up to this. Suthep's letter to Obama underlined this mental chasm and must have caused guffaws in DC for the moment it was distributed before being binned.

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions

The real joke is that you think the whole world finds this abhorrent! Considering how PTP have used the views of the USA to support their refusal to delay elections and continue their reckless pillaging of state coffers in the name of democracy shows just how much you understand of what is going on.

Show me one link, even one only of a foreign press statement where yesterdays anti-protester actions were justified or supported. One only.

Oh yes, if you not find it maybe all the rest of the world is red shirt, or blindfolded or paid by PTP...

I'm totally against any form of violence, and denying the right to vote is a form of violence. One of the worst in any democracy.

That this government is a shame for themselves is obviously true, but what is happening is out of this world, and who backs up the action of denying the right to vote, is unjustifiable.

I am not talking about what the press report! only the idea that the whole world find it abhorrent, If one compares it to the Ukraine then what is happening in Thailand is a picnic in the park. In fact I would suggest that the Ukraine is more of a worry for the west Than Thailand will ever be.

Ukraine has nothing to do with Thailand, nor is an opinion on the Ukraine situation relevant to what one thinks about Suthep's affront to democracy surely? Why does one need to compare the two to try and justify it or have an opinion?

It's beyond question that the world's governments that have expressed an opinion on Thailand - and there are a large number - have universally called for elections. There is no support for Suthep at a governmental level in the wider world. Zero - but there is wide support for elections. And the world's media have shown none either (and, yes they are reporting this) at an editorial level. Mostly people I speak to around the world day to day are simply bemused by how the whistle mob can be so dumb.

[zydeco]

And cue up the Anti-American sentiment. Most popular things to attack on Thai Visa: Missionaries and America. With the American Missionary drawing the most hate.

As an American, I would gladly reduce tax expenditures on our military. In fact, I wish we spent $0 on military. Is the rest of the world OK with this? Are we all ok with the next most powerful nation becoming the most powerful? Do we entrust their values and sense of judgment on world policy?

Missionaries? Where did you pull that out of the air?

[Snig27]

And cue up the Anti-American sentiment. Most popular things to attack on Thai Visa: Missionaries and America. With the American Missionary drawing the most hate.

As an American, I would gladly reduce tax expenditures on our military. In fact, I wish we spent $0 on military. Is the rest of the world OK with this? Are we all ok with the next most powerful nation becoming the most powerful? Do we entrust their values and sense of judgment on world policy?

Missionaries? Where did you pull that out of the air?

yep, I have to admit I was confused by that one.

[Baerboxer]

From day one the USA has made it clear it supports the elected government. That was the appropriate response at the time and its position has not changed. I very much doubt that the Suthep antics are high on the Washington agenda. They support the status quo.

Nonsense. Show us all the links to where the USA has specifically supported Yingluck, Thaksin or PTP.

The USA has quite rightly supported freedom of expression, freedom of protest, democracy and the rule of law. The last to are unfortunately sadly missing from Thai politics.

The USA has also quite rightly appealed for non violence, and for resolution through dialogue.

All the pro-PTP sympathizer like to pretend, just like No.1 cousin, that the words the USA and other foreign governments say can be interpreted how they want.

[ggold]

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions, not just this weekend, but in the weeks leading up to this. Suthep's letter to Obama underlined this mental chasm and must have caused guffaws in DC for the moment it was distributed before being binned.

The real joke is the inability of these self-proclaimed educated protesters to understand why the whole world is appalled and finds abhorrent their actions

The real joke is that you think the whole world finds this abhorrent! Considering how PTP have used the views of the USA to support their refusal to delay elections and continue their reckless pillaging of state coffers in the name of democracy shows just how much you understand of what is going on.

Show me one link, even one only of a foreign press statement where yesterdays anti-protester actions were justified or supported. One only.

Oh yes, if you not find it maybe all the rest of the world is red shirt, or blindfolded or paid by PTP...

I'm totally against any form of violence, and denying the right to vote is a form of violence. One of the worst in any democracy.

That this government is a shame for themselves is obviously true, but what is happening is out of this world, and who backs up the action of denying the right to vote, is unjustifiable.

I am not talking about what the press report! only the idea that the whole world find it abhorrent, If one compares it to the Ukraine then what is happening in Thailand is a picnic in the park. In fact I would suggest that the Ukraine is more of a worry for the west Than Thailand will ever be.

Ukraine has nothing to do with Thailand, nor is an opinion on the Ukraine situation relevant to what one thinks about Suthep's affront to democracy surely? Why does one need to compare the two to try and justify it or have an opinion?

It's beyond question that the world's governments that have expressed an opinion on Thailand - and there are a large number - have universally called for elections. There is no support for Suthep at a governmental level in the wider world. Zero - but there is wide support for elections. And the world's media have shown none either (and, yes they are reporting this) at an editorial level. Mostly people I speak to around the world day to day are simply bemused by how the whistle mob can be so dumb.

Thank you for deciding what is or is not relevant! IMO it is quite justifiable to compare one country with another when the aims of the people are similar. I did not make any distinction though about Suthep and the Ukraine, So obviously you are anti Suthep. Even though he has not said no to elections.

He wants reform before elections, So that the country can vote on a new constitution, he has even said he was willing at that stage to accept which ever Party wins. The shout for Democracy seems to be lost on those who seem to think that the PTP government are Democratic in their behaviour???

Even Thaksin has said Democracy is not the aim!

But it fits PTP agend to label peaceful demonstrators insurrectionists and terrorists to deflect what they are doing to the country. And while there is a certain amount of violence, It is still more peaceful than one might expect! though that could change!

[firestar]

Zionism, New World Order, Islamic Majoritarianism. etc..... this thread is being derailed me thinks