The United States has a long history of friendship and shared interests with Thailand over the course of our 182-year-old relationship. We want Thailand to emerge from the current period as a strengthened democracy, not only for its own future but also for our bilateral relationship, which can only fully resume with the restoration of elected government.
Since the military-led coup in May 2014, the government’s timetable for returning Thailand to democratic governance has slipped several times. The military-appointed National Reform Council on September 6 rejected a controversial draft constitution written by a separate, military-appointed committee. A new committee now is working on another draft charter for approval by public referendum; if it passes, elections would take place in mid-2017.