WASHINGTON—The Obama administration is sending its highest-level diplomatic visitor to Thailand since last year’s military coup, although a return to democracy there remains a distant prospect.
The top US envoy for East Asia, Daniel Russel, will be holding talks with Thai officials on Monday, days after the military appointed legislature voted to ban ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra from politics for five years. Yingluck is also facing criminal charges that carry a 10-year prison term.
The accusations against Yingluck, which she denies, center on her oversight of a money losing rice subsidy scheme promoted by the elected government she led before the military takeover last May. But it’s widely seen as an attempt to cripple the political machine founded by Yingluck’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, another ousted prime minister, and prevent them from returning to power.
In response to the coup, the United States has suspended $4.7 million in military assistance to its oldest Asian ally. It has been calling for quick elections and a resumption of civilian rule. A new constitution is being drafted first, and analysts don’t expect elections before 2016.
Still, Washington chooses its words carefully as it looks to sustain a 182-year-relationship with Thailand, which has traditionally served a hub for US government engagement in Southeast Asia.