The U.S. ambassador to Thailand says the country faces "considerable challenges" in returning to democratic rule with national elections in 2017. A primary concern is the Thai military government's use of laws that suppress public debate.
Speaking to reporters late Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies said that while bilateral relations between Thailand and the United States remain strong, the government’s restrictions on freedom of expression and its use of military courts in civilian cases is undermining discussion of the issues facing the country.
“We called for civilians not to be tried in military courts. We think that’s important. We believe in the rule of law. We believe in an independent judiciary, we believe obviously in people’s rights to be defended in a court of law and we see difficulties, we see real problems with civilians being tried in military courts,” Davies said.