US envoy Kenney criticised

[ThailandNoob]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Yes, many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

Kenney is doing a good job representing US interests in Thailand and defending the rights of the people of both countries with her actions and words. If you truly prefer living in a military dictatorship then by all means enjoy yourself while it lasts.

Whats wrong with you? You more than anybody can see the Armies actions were not done to end democracy. It was done to end the political hatred and corruption that had taken hold in the 2 major parties and to quell a blood bath. YOU know darn well if political parties started to defy laws and entice terrorism in the US that they would have an Army of feds with shoot to kill orders be they pro or anti Gov. The US is not above what is happening here. They are just more devious in how they resolve it. Thailand needed this reset or would you prefer a civil war like the US had. Thai democracy is still young and learning how it works. But any idiot can see it was NOT working and the parties had twisted everything to benefit themselves.

I think as long as the Army is making progress to end the madness of Thak and Suthep and that they do all they can to restor democracy then they are doing a good job and should not be condemned. They are trying to save the country from its own self destruction which was getting closer and closer every day.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The army's actions were done to end democracy, and will only intensify the political hatred. Day by day, it is becoming more and more obvious that the coup was in fact done on behalf of one of the political factions (hint: the one that is even more corrupt than their main rival, so much so that they haven't won an election since 1992, hence the need to destroy democracy).

All the army needed to do to was crack down on Suthep so that elections could have gone forward. Instead, by doing what he wanted and using violence to install an unelected government, they have put the country on the course towards civil war.

[masuk]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Good for you! I'm pleased someone has had the gumption to tell those guys what the reality is. They obviously have no idea about the situation here.

The British and Aussie media are most informative, and I wonder if the US media are doing the same?

[Suradit69]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Yes, many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

Kenney is doing a good job representing US interests in Thailand and defending the rights of the people of both countries with her actions and words. If you truly prefer living in a military dictatorship then by all means enjoy yourself while it lasts.

While I am neither for or against the actions of the ambassador since none of us can separate what she has actually said or done from the fabrications used to denigrate her and none of us know what she is doing or saying on her own initiative or based on directions she is receiving ...

... but this has got to be one of the most pompous, meaningless statements I've heard since the last presidential campaign:

"...many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them."

Please enumerate these "principles" that you hold so dear and which so many of us have abandoned willy-nilly. We could use a good laugh. If anything, America was founded with respect for diversity of opinion and not the imposition of some principles from on-high ... speaking of military dictatorships.

[stickyrice2000]

I'm an American too, and I support the US action. Until the people have the freedom to vote and express their rights, there is no need to cooperate with the Junta who staged a coup. Don't listen to these minority yellow supporters.

Edited May 25, 2014 by stickyrice2000

[montereyjp]

Michael Yon FB post and continuous negative commentary on Kenney has absolutely nothing to do with what is going on in Thailand... Even if the best US diplomat in the world was assigned to Thailand the course of events would have been the same.. The response of the US administration would have been the same.. The way Kenney goes about doing her job is irrelevant to the current situation in Thailand.. All he is doing besides capitalizing on the plight of Thailand is enticing hatred towards US from the Thais... Does anyone think he is helping the Thais or the US by being here reporting on events as he sees them?

I certainly don't...

Edited May 25, 2014 by montereyjp

[Joe Mamma]

Good, they can put that money to use helping the many men and women veterans who are facing cuts in benefits and not just fuel another conflict for oil.

[kurtgruen]

3.5 million from the US

If I was head of China, I would send Thailand 3.5 Billion in cash right now, with "no strings attached"

If I was Putin, I would do the same. If I was Castro, I would offer to replace the 3.5 million.

USofA, the laughing stock of the world

Edited May 25, 2014 by kurtgruen

[Joe Mamma]

My rich Uncle Sam has lots of power so you better watch out! And he isn't afraid to butt his nose in everyone's business too, so there!

[chainarong]

I think all Embassy's are guilty of this crime, the feel good measure, unless you have an affinity with the country , you are not going to win many friends, the enormous amount of B?S the PTP spread through their three thousand radio stations alone should raise a comment or two, especially the day after Marshal law was introduced they were all shut down , by the regulator , why weren't they shut down before, this was the sort of governance from the PTP, Nepotism , corruption ,the rice scam ,the bribes , the violence, threats to the countries judges, not a word ,only democracy to be restored , unfortunately Ambassador Kenny and her counterparts in other Embassy's failed to either report the true situation or gave a false view through rainbow coloured glasses, democracy never exited in Thailand except the people were allowed to vote , sometimes under pressure of retaliation, in closing the majority of Thai's support the actions of General Prayuth and perhaps Thailand now can move forward.

[aussieinthailand]

What the US and her rep's do is their business, as for me I think the Australian gov should STOP 100% of support and impose trade sanctions for a number of reasons, including undemocratic behavior and human trafficking censorship, the list go's on The problem is that The Dem's and other groups simply will not play by the democratic rules, or respect the umpires decision (the voters) and if you won't follow the rules and respect the umpires call then don't play the game...

so you are saying that PT that won election once can break the rules and laws as they see fit?

DID you read my post??? I'll say it slowly for you ok,

If you don't follow the rules and respect the umpire's call ( the voters) then don't play the game.

care to tell us just when did the Dem's last win an election? Wow it's been a while huh?

My condescending reply is due to your condescending statement.

[rethaier]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Yes, many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

Kenney is doing a good job representing US interests in Thailand and defending the rights of the people of both countries with her actions and words. If you truly prefer living in a military dictatorship then by all means enjoy yourself while it lasts.

Whats wrong with you? You more than anybody can see the Armies actions were not done to end democracy. It was done to end the political hatred and corruption that had taken hold in the 2 major parties and to quell a blood bath. YOU know darn well if political parties started to defy laws and entice terrorism in the US that they would have an Army of feds with shoot to kill orders be they pro or anti Gov. The US is not above what is happening here. They are just more devious in how they resolve it. Thailand needed this reset or would you prefer a civil war like the US had. Thai democracy is still young and learning how it works. But any idiot can see it was NOT working and the parties had twisted everything to benefit themselves.

I think as long as the Army is making progress to end the madness of Thak and Suthep and that they do all they can to restor democracy then they are doing a good job and should not be condemned. They are trying to save the country from its own self destruction which was getting closer and closer every day.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

What'svwrong is that Thailand can never become a true democracy as long as corrution is allowed to run rampant from the lowest citizenry to the highest political office. For a democracy, (and I don't think there is a true democracy anywhere on the planet), to function fairly it must be free of corruption. Bribes to poilice, buying your way out of a crime, even murder, buying a drivers license even bribes to get a birth certificate, not to mention all the money that changes hands to build. Face it Thailand is corrupt to the core. I hope the army can sort it out and I agree they needed to do what they did but I hope they don't take it too far and I hope the next legitimate government is not just more of the same but I fear they will be. It is obvious that sides have been taken by the army and they should be neutral. I say side have been taken because although Suthep Thaugsaban and his yellow shirts started this problem and caused the deaths of 27 people I only hear of red shirts being pursued. Suthep should be held accountable for his actions.

Edited May 25, 2014 by rethaier

[ggt]

Kenny may be a newbie to Thailand politics...may be in over her head...give her some time...maybe she can remove her foot from her mouth...

[andrewrooney]

The ambassador doesn't make decisions regarding aid funding. Those decisions are made back home in Washington. If this clown is really a political scientist you would think he'd know that.

[djjamie]

Keep up the good work Michael….It is appreciated and valuable information from the field.

[Publicus]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Yes, many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

Kenney is doing a good job representing US interests in Thailand and defending the rights of the people of both countries with her actions and words. If you truly prefer living in a military dictatorship then by all means enjoy yourself while it lasts.

No, she's not. But Ambassador John did. An excellent man if you ever talked to him.

Whomever you talked to last wins you over.

I see....

[Bob12345]

Michael Yon FB post and continuous negative commentary on Kenney has absolutely nothing to do with what is going on in Thailand...

[...]

All he is doing besides capitalizing on the plight of Thailand is enticing hatred towards US from the Thais...

Agree with you 100%

The problem with Michael Yon is that he starts some personal vendettas that take over his whole writing.

Kenney was on the good side of Yon till the PDRC went around embassies to present a letter explaining why they had been protesting for months. Many diplomats, or their representatives, accepted the letter at the gate and left it to that, but Kenney refused to come out and accept it. She probably made that call as the US government supports the elected government and therefore want to stay away from a group that tries to topple democracy.

This infuriated Yon, who is hired by the PDRC supporters to write positively about him, and from that week onward he started a campaign to discredit the US ambassador. He started to selectively show some of her tweets where she tries to come across as a normal person enjoying Thailand (tweets about the nice weather in Thailand, her enjoying Songkran, her trying out Thai dishes) and started setting up his fanbase to make fun of her and demanding the US send a replacement.

Since nobody with a serious job listens to Michael Yon his calls for a replacement were left unanswered and now he is just repeating his fun-making activities until Kenney's term in Thailand is over and he can claim "victory" for ousting an ambassador. In the mean time this comes at a cost of the USA and many of his fans are now starting to hate Americans and everything American.

In short it is all a personal vendetta against Kenney which he deems more important than truthfully representing and supporting his own country.

[JSPS]

Micheal Yon???

Hahaha. Hahaha .....I think not even his dog would find him credible - if he had one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Yon

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/

http://asp.militarygear.com/2013/09/24/michael-yon-integrity-check/

I've followed Michael Yon since his days reporting from Iraq. His reporting got under some people's skin (medivac choppers) but he was always proven right in the long run. I know there's a few people that are always trying to undermine his reputation, like that nutty Master Sergeant in Texas. But he always gets down in the mud with the grunts and brings us the true story.

[silverhawk_usa]

The ambassador doesn't make decisions regarding aid funding. Those decisions are made back home in Washington. If this clown is really a political scientist you would think he'd know that.

Yes, this has been stated in many reports. The U.S. is not singling out Thailand with a punitive action. It is automatic for any country receiving U.S. aid be it millions or billions.

"The U.S.'s own laws, specifically Section 508 of the Foreign Assistance Act, prevent it from providing military aid to a government that takes power from the previous "duly elected" leadership by coup." (Google),

[SNGLIFE]

"The letter was written by an American expatriate claiming to be a political scientist. Michael Yon, who describes himself as an author, photographer and war correspondent, posted the 400-word letter on his Facebook page."

ROFLMAO! So this Yon guy must certainly be better briefed on the "real" situation than our Ambassador...really? No, seriously...really? lol! + 5555555!

[Gunna]

I can't believe a 'real' political scientist would write this or be that naive.

The U.S. uses advance technology and intelligence agencies to gather and assimilate information.

Is this 'scientist' stupid enough to believe the U.S. embassy would send a blond-haired, blue-eyed representative to a Thai-only protest?

Could someone explain to this idiotic attention-seeker that many Thai people work for the U.S. government - and not just the embassy?

Like all the information they had before 9-11 and couldn't see anything.

Military/CIA intelligence an oxymoron

Ambassadors are often not selected for their experience or expertise, it is often as a reward for serving a Government and many are just party junkies.

I forgot - Experts at listening to gossip at VIP functions

[Bob12345]

Keep up the good work Michael….It is appreciated and valuable information from the field.

The most valuable thing Michael Yon has done here in Thailand is exposing the "educated" supporters of the PDRC.

Read the comments on his posts and you soon realize that none of his supporters are able to see the big picture, think logically, or have the ability to defend their standpoints.

[Credo]

So, they are upset that they US is taking away some of their allowance?

Rather infantile, I think.

[noitom]

Foreign embassies and namely led by the US have pandered to Thailand and their Thainess for decades. Pandering to Thailand's corruption and lawlessness. Spending US taxpayer money to lunch, wine, and dine these pompous, self absorbed Thais. Keeping the trough flowing and full for decades since the "communist threat" started in the 50s. Creating the modern Thai military creature on the back of US taxpayers. Pandering to Thailand's silent drug network and human trafficking. post WWII Thailand is an establishment and military creature of the US. Building up the Thai military strength so the Japanese would feel secure investing in Thailand.

[razer]

From what I understand, what the USA is doing is the minimum required by US law. Flaming the USA, flaming Taksin, flaming the army, flaming whatever and whoever is so shallow. Thailand is coming to a crossroads in its history and it could be violent. I have my rapid exit cash in USD and Euros. Do you? ps ... I used to work in Iran in the late 80s.

[kerrysum]

michael yon is a joke, sneered at by most of the journalistic community who cover the Thai beat largely due to his tried and true M.O of "publishing" a rant against the Red Shirts or Defending the Yellow Shirts on his FB or blogsite and then quickly following it up with messages like "I can't keep what I'm doing without the support of my followers! Please Donate to my paypal for the next dispatch from the field! or Buy my book!".

It works well, he has a rabid dem/yellow shirt THAI fanbase on his facebook page.

Well that pretty much explains it...... Phew what a bunch of drama.....

So when does the next soap opera begin??????

[4kew]

dont waste your breath, its only the totally naive who believe anything other than this was a US instigated and backed coup.

Edited May 25, 2014 by 4kew

[nitehawk56]

He said , she said, where's the letter that was sent.

[AYJAYDEE]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Yes, many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

Kenney is doing a good job representing US interests in Thailand and defending the rights of the people of both countries with her actions and words. If you truly prefer living in a military dictatorship then by all means enjoy yourself while it lasts.

Whats wrong with you? You more than anybody can see the Armies actions were not done to end democracy. It was done to end the political hatred and corruption that had taken hold in the 2 major parties and to quell a blood bath. YOU know darn well if political parties started to defy laws and entice terrorism in the US that they would have an Army of feds with shoot to kill orders be they pro or anti Gov. The US is not above what is happening here. They are just more devious in how they resolve it. Thailand needed this reset or would you prefer a civil war like the US had. Thai democracy is still young and learning how it works. But any idiot can see it was NOT working and the parties had twisted everything to benefit themselves.

I think as long as the Army is making progress to end the madness of Thak and Suthep and that they do all they can to restor democracy then they are doing a good job and should not be condemned. They are trying to save the country from its own self destruction which was getting closer and closer every day.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

lol!!!

[Cnxforever]

Michael Yon has always made it clear, he is a "pen for hire". Through his facebook page he asked for contribution to write for the anti government side.

He is not an "american". He is a professional writer hired to present one side of the story.

Agree but could you please just leave the word "professional" out!

[Smurkster]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Yes, many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

Kenney is doing a good job representing US interests in Thailand and defending the rights of the people of both countries with her actions and words. If you truly prefer living in a military dictatorship then by all means enjoy yourself while it lasts.

Well said