A group of pro-coup nationalist Thais rallied in front of the US Embassy in Bangkok, calling on the US to stop interfering in Thai politics after Daniel Russel, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, criticized the imposition of the martial law during his visit to Bangkok.
The group calling themselves “The Network for the Protection of Thais’ Benefits and Dignity” gathered at the US Embassy on Wednesday and read a statement to the Embassy.
In the letter, the group urged the United States to stop interfering in Thai politics, directly and indirectly, and to respect Thai sovereignty.
“Thailand has been independent continuously since the Sukhothai Kingdom. Thai people love the nation. No country ever interferes in our domestic affairs,” it said.
“[The Kingdom of Thailand] has been independent for almost 800 years and today Thai people are very proud and we are proudly nationalists because nationalism is the immunity of the Thai people. The Kingdom of Thailand has good relations with all countries as you can see that embassies, consulates, and other international organizations from all countries around the world have their offices in Thailand.”
“No country has ever interfered in the domestic affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand,” it said.
The statement also mentions the recent impeachment of former elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on a charge of corruption related to the rice pledging scheme.
“The Network for the Protection of Thais’ Benefit and Dignity urges you to respect the long-standing relations between the two countries and the relations of the US with the oldest country in Asia, which is the Kingdom of Thailand.”
The group said they issued the statement on behalf of 60 million Thai people from every province in the country.
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The image of the statement
