Foreign Affairs Minister confident opposition to US ambassador will not result in violence

BANGKOK, 4 December 2015 (NNT) - Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs assures that opposition to the United States Ambassador to Thailand will not result in violence, after the Ambassador's recent criticism of Thailand’s lese majeste law.

US Ambassador Glyn Davies made critical comments about Article 112 of Thailand’s criminal code which states that whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, queen, heir-apparent, or regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years.

Mr Don said he believes the US dignitary is familiar with the context of Thailand’s laws and culture and the issue will be resolved in a fair manner.

-- NNT 2015-12-04

Violence? A threat perhaps?

Good for Ambassador Davies . He ought to say it again loud and clear. All foreigners here need to speak out and come to the aid of all the poor pitiful Thai people who are scared to death to speak their minds.

Good for Ambassador Davies . He ought to say it again loud and clear. All foreigners here need to speak out and come to the aid of all the poor pitiful Thai people who are scared to death to speak their minds.

At last someone with a pair or balls and well done Ambassador Davies

its just a pity that nobody else with the same political muscle speaks their minds

He is probably fed up with the bullshit from the Thai government already. If he wanted to be posted in North Korea he would have applied for it.

Good on him. He is doing exactly what he should and although they dont realise it, he is helping save the Thai people from their own ignorance.

"will not result in violence"

You sure better cross your legs and fingers and hope that it doesn't buddy!

criticising the law is not breaking it.

I would like to see mad royalists getting violent and military and police arresting them under lese majeste law. The ambasador is aproved by the monarch, anybody contradicting his will suppose to be prosecuted

Excellent Move by Foreign Affairs Minister

Be tricky, ooow, about pretending to threaten violence against the evil US ambassador is a sure winner!

It's a great dog and pony show for the populace, especially when everything else is going tits up

If is becoming increasingly evident that the junta is trying its damndest to score political mileage out of their interpretation of what Ambassador Davies has said.

First the junta-head is reported as saying he was worried about the fallout, and now this trash from their Foreign Affairs Minister that is highly likely to incite further trouble.

What a pathetic pack of pretentious chillies!

Good for Ambassador Davies . He ought to say it again loud and clear. All foreigners here need to speak out and come to the aid of all the poor pitiful Thai people who are scared to death to speak their minds.

Speak out in favor of Mr. Thaksin and his clan......Thank you but no.....

There is an implied 'threat' that the 200 or so ultra nationalists might get violent? I know that the Ambassador will realise this little 'rent-a-mob' are totally unrepresentative of the Thai people and the IRONY will not be lost on him that such gatherings are banned but, strangely, ignored when the right coloured shirt is worn.

tut, tut this government need to learn a thing or two about public and diplomatic relations

Time too loose the dogs of war against Davie (again) - Monk Isaara!

Good for Ambassador Davies . He ought to say it again loud and clear. All foreigners here need to speak out and come to the aid of all the poor pitiful Thai people who are scared to death to speak their minds.

Speak out in favor of Mr. Thaksin and his clan......Thank you but no.....

Only to post #10, "Mr Thaksin and his crew"

Well doneh90, you bring much credibility to yourself on this comment.

to make a story about comments from US ambassador regarding LM laws and their questionable application and the increasing numbers of people that are currently being prosecuted under this law.

Well I could be wrong but the three or four articles I've read on this Issue had ABSELUTLY NOTHING to do with "Mr Thaksin and his crew" but rather the US ambassador doing his job and publicly criticizing a law that is as many could and have suggested it is being misused, abused and a tool for silencing both political and other opponent's, This misuse in itself should be severely punished...

I wonder if these protestors have read the transcript of the speech given by the ambassador?

As for veiled threats of violence, man that is not clever.

As in a previous post "criticizing a law is not breaking it".

Edited December 5, 201510 yr by aussieinthailand

Time too loose the dogs of war against Davie (again) - Monk Isaara!

You mean the "elephants" of war then!

The problem is not that a rag-tag mob of rabid royalists will do any violence against the Ambassador, but the propaganda value of this FM's inane comment will certainly increase the growing and misplaced resentment against the US, already apparent among the Thai populace.

At least until they need help with the Chinese...

Good for Ambassador Davies . He ought to say it again loud and clear. All foreigners here need to speak out and come to the aid of all the poor pitiful Thai people who are scared to death to speak their minds.

Speak out in favor of Mr. Thaksin and his clan......Thank you but no.....

Here is a prime example of the weird notion some of the junta supporters have that criticism of the junta equals support for Thaksin.

Disengenious, to be VERY polite.

"...opposition to the United States Ambassador to Thailand will not result in violence..."

What a joke. I'm absolutely certain not one person at the embassy had any notions at all there was going to be violence because of the Ambassador's statement. One has to wonder at the reasons for this minister to make this kind of statement.

Thailand,you don't want the US to close their embassy and go home do you?Was this statement the PM made just to let the American Ambassador know that the worlds idea of free speech and legit-able representatives of the peoples are compleatly different then Thailand "PRESENT" government's.Oh please Sir,share your "more correct" ideas of democracy with the world at the next UN meeting.

Foreign Affairs Minister confident opposition to US ambassador will not result in violence

of course you're confident, since you are controlling that particular mob

Please, all you who think mr US ambassador showed his brave face by commenting on Thai laws, what would you say if the Thai ambassador in the US would comment on US laws?

It just shows this US ambassador is not a good representative of the US, and a typical political appointed figure.

But, it is obviously very clear, the US tends to make wrong decisions in relations with other countries.

Choosing wrong friends is paramount.

Meanwhile all is done to keep the angry demonstrations to go on. Nobody has been arrested for joining a political manifestation and no warning has been issued.

Good for Ambassador Davies . He ought to say it again loud and clear. All foreigners here need to speak out and come to the aid of all the poor pitiful Thai people who are scared to death to speak their minds.

They have minds? When did this happen?

Please, all you who think mr US ambassador showed his brave face by commenting on Thai laws, what would you say if the Thai ambassador in the US would comment on US laws?

It just shows this US ambassador is not a good representative of the US, and a typical political appointed figure.

But, it is obviously very clear, the US tends to make wrong decisions in relations with other countries.

Choosing wrong friends is paramount.

Frankly, the Thai ambassador to the US is welcome to criticize the US for any unjust applications of the law there.

But it is likely HE WILL BE IGNORED, because there are numerous critics already.

Good for Ambassador Davies . He ought to say it again loud and clear. All foreigners here need to speak out and come to the aid of all the poor pitiful Thai people who are scared to death to speak their minds.

Speak out in favor of Mr. Thaksin and his clan......Thank you but no.....

Only to post #10, "Mr Thaksin and his crew"

Well doneh90, you bring much credibility to yourself on this comment.

to make a story about comments from US ambassador regarding LM laws and their questionable application and the increasing numbers of people that are currently being prosecuted under this law.

Well I could be wrong but the three or four articles I've read on this Issue had ABSELUTLY NOTHING to do with "Mr Thaksin and his crew" but rather the US ambassador doing his job and publicly criticizing a law that is as many could and have suggested it is being misused, abused and a tool for silencing both political and other opponent's, This misuse in itself should be severely punished...

I wonder if these protestors have read the transcript of the speech given by the ambassador?

As for veiled threats of violence, man that is not clever.

As in a previous post "criticizing a law is not breaking it".

This is not the Ambassador's business to criticize the law of the country he is accredited to.

America, please stop meddling in Thailand's internal affairs!

Its everyones business when a country uses barbaric medievals laws to frighten its people. I suppose you are the sort of person who doesn't mind that some countries chop off people's heads, hands, legs, and a certain country locks people up on hearsay or fake charges for talking about a royal family. We are all duty bound to see that justice prevails and to put an end to human suffering whatever country it happens in.

Good for Ambassador Davies . He ought to say it again loud and clear. All foreigners here need to speak out and come to the aid of all the poor pitiful Thai people who are scared to death to speak their minds.

Speak out in favor of Mr. Thaksin and his clan......Thank you but no.....

Here is a prime example of the weird notion some of the junta supporters have that criticism of the junta equals support for Thaksin.

Disengenious, to be VERY polite.

Agree - criticizing a military Junta, or any government, does not equal support for any opposition party.

Nor does criticizing the Shins and the criminal who owns them equal support for the current Junta government.

Amazing how many posters only understand that one way.

Good for Ambassador Davies . He ought to say it again loud and clear. All foreigners here need to speak out and come to the aid of all the poor pitiful Thai people who are scared to death to speak their minds.

Speak out in favor of Mr. Thaksin and his clan......Thank you but no.....

Only to post #10, "Mr Thaksin and his crew"

Well doneh90, you bring much credibility to yourself on this comment.

to make a story about comments from US ambassador regarding LM laws and their questionable application and the increasing numbers of people that are currently being prosecuted under this law.

Well I could be wrong but the three or four articles I've read on this Issue had ABSELUTLY NOTHING to do with "Mr Thaksin and his crew" but rather the US ambassador doing his job and publicly criticizing a law that is as many could and have suggested it is being misused, abused and a tool for silencing both political and other opponent's, This misuse in itself should be severely punished...

I wonder if these protestors have read the transcript of the speech given by the ambassador?

As for veiled threats of violence, man that is not clever.

As in a previous post "criticizing a law is not breaking it".

This is not the Ambassador's business to criticize the law of the country he is accredited to.

America, please stop meddling in Thailand's internal affairs!

Really? so let's not criticize Iran? Iraq? beheadings in Saudi? Assad? Hussein? Mugabe? REALLY???

This is not the Ambassador's business to criticize the law of the country he is accredited to.

America, please stop meddling in Thailand's internal affairs!

Really? so let's not criticize Iran? Iraq? beheadings in Saudi? Assad? Hussein? Mugabe? REALLY???

When was the last time you heard an American or any EU Ambassador going to Iran, Iraq, KSA, Syria, or Rhodesia and meeting with opposition leaders? Then criticizing the laws of those countries?

PM's, Presidents. Foreign secretaries, individual members of governments and parliaments / senates and the like often do. But Ambassador's rarely do other than spout diplomatic speak.

Davies is behaving differently, very shortly in his tenure. Do you hear of the US Ambassador to China or N K or India or Pakistan meeting behaving in such a way?

No idea why. We'll see if it's under Washington instruction and approval soon enough.

Maybe those defending article 112 so fervently should continue reading the Thai Criminal Code until they reach Article 134:

Whoever, defaming, insulting or threatening a foreign Representative accredited to the Royal Court, shall be punished with imprisonment of six months to five years or fine of one to ten thousand Baht, or both.

and here we are - Mad monarchist Sonthiya Sawasdee files 112 complaint against American Ambassador for Lese Majeste offences. He had to do it on king's birthday and grab the news headlines.

Royalist urges investigation of US ambassador over lèse majesté criticisms

http://www.prachatai.org/english/node/5667

Edited December 5, 201510 yr by londonthai

This is not the Ambassador's business to criticize the law of the country he is accredited to.

America, please stop meddling in Thailand's internal affairs!

Really? so let's not criticize Iran? Iraq? beheadings in Saudi? Assad? Hussein? Mugabe? REALLY???

When was the last time you heard an American or any EU Ambassador going to Iran, Iraq, KSA, Syria, or Rhodesia and meeting with opposition leaders? Then criticizing the laws of those countries?

PM's, Presidents. Foreign secretaries, individual members of governments and parliaments / senates and the like often do. But Ambassador's rarely do other than spout diplomatic speak.

Davies is behaving differently, very shortly in his tenure. Do you hear of the US Ambassador to China or N K or India or Pakistan meeting behaving in such a way?

No idea why. We'll see if it's under Washington instruction and approval soon enough.

You know very well the situation here demands it as democracy has been overtaken by a military grab for power and by broken promises of "no coup" and "elections in 2015" etc. I believe an American Ambassador would criticize just the same if it were any other country in the world where the military takes over a democracy.