BANGKOK — Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra met with a top official from the US State Department today to discuss the political situation in Thailand and her recent impeachment, a ruling she says was politically motivated and unjust.

Yingluck, who led the government toppled in the 22 May 2014 coup, met with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Russel, and the US Charge d'Affaires to Thailand, W. Patrick Murphy, at the official residence of the US Ambassador in Bangkok today. 

Former PM Yingluck Shinawatra with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel at the official residence of the US Ambassador in Bangkok, 26 Jan 2015. 

Yingluck was retroactively impeached last week by the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly, who voted overwhelmingly to ban her from politics for five years for allegedly failing to stop corruption in her administration’s rice-pledging policy.

The impeachment was the latest in a series of legal punishments handed down to Yingluck and her government. In May 2014, she was ousted from her office by a court ruling, and a few weeks later, the remnants of her government were overthrown in a military coup led by Gen. Prayuth, who was army chief at the time. 

On the morning that Yingluck was impeached, the Attorney-General also announced plans to pursue criminal charges, carrying a maximum 10 year sentence, against her in connection with the rice policy corruption.

In today's meeting with the US diplomats, Yingluck was accompanied by Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan, who briefly led her administration after she was ousted, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong Tovijakchaikul, and former Secretary of the Prime Minister Suranand Vejjajiva. The talk lasted for an hour and a half. 

According to one of her close aides, Yingluck thanked the US representatives for the opportunity to speak about her impeachment, which she has described as a politicized move by the junta-appointed legislators, more than half of whom are active or former military officers.

"What she wants is justice and fairness," an aide who was present for the talks told Khaosod. "They must stop using the procedures to bully her. She said, if the impeachment or legal cases against her turn out this way, the same standards must be applied to other cases, too. Like the cases against the previous governments."

The aide was referring to the perpetually stalling lawsuits against former Democrat Party politicians who authorized a crackdown on Redshirt protesters in 2010 that left over 90 people dead. Critics point to the comparative swiftness with which courts have moved to prosecute Yingluck as evidence of a bias against her political faction.

Speaking to a crowd at Chulalongkorn University after his meeting with the former Prime Minister today, US State Department envoy Russel discussed the perception of bias that the impeachment proceedings have perpetuated.

"When an elected leader is removed from office, is deposed, and then impeached by authorities, the same authorities that conducted the coup, and then when a political leader is targeted with criminal charges at a time when the basic democratic processes and institutions in the country are interrupted, the international community is going to be left with the impression that these steps could in fact be politically driven," Russel said.

Russel stressed that the US would not be taking sides in Thailand’s domestic politics, but urged the junta to repeal martial law and all restrictions on freedom of expression.

"We are concerned about the significant restraints on freedoms since the coup," he said. "Ending martial law throughout the country and removing restrictions of speech and assembly – these would be important steps as part of genuinely inclusive reform process that reflects the broad diversity of views within the country."

Russel, the highest-level US official to visit Thailand since the coup, also met with former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the leader of the opposition Democrat Party who authorized the 2010 crackdown, and the current Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen. Thanasak Patimaprakorn. Russel refused to discuss the details of these meetings, citing standard diplomatic procedures, but said he felt he had been given a "serious hearing." 

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BANGKOK — Thai junta leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says he understands why US diplomats are reluctant to meet with him in person.

The junta chairman was responding to a reporter who asked him to comment on the news that a US State Department official was meeting with two former Prime Ministers in Thailand today, but not the current one.

"Why would they come to meet me? They aren't meeting with me because they know how I came to power,” explained Gen. Prayuth, who assumed the premiership last year after toppling an elected government in a military coup on 22 May 2014.

"Politics is politics," he said.

The US government criticized Gen. Prayuth's military takeover last year and announced that cooperation between Thai and American authorities would be suspended in some areas until democratic rule is restored in the Kingdom. 

However, the two nations continue to work together on many other vital issues, Gen. Prayuth said today.

"Regarding economics, they still trade with us. They still do military drills with us. They can separate these issues, but we still mix them together," Gen. Prayuth said.

He added, "Today, many countries are trading with us normally. Some countries oppose us and disagree with us, but they still trade with us."

Earlier today, Assistant Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific affairs Daniel Russel met separately with former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who led the government toppled in the 22 May coup, and former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the leader of the opposition Democrat Party.

Russel, the highest-level US official to visit Thailand since the coup, also met with the current Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen. Thanasak Patimaprakorn. 

Russel said he discussed the political situation in Thailand with all three political figures, who reportedly expressed their commitment to achieving national reconciliation and securing the country's democratic future. 

"The fact is, and it's unfortunate, but our relationship with Thailand has been challenged by the military coup that removed a democratically elected government eight months ago," Russel said today after the three meetings.

He stressed that the United States would not be taking sides in Thai politics, but said that the US government remains concerned about the junta’s continued use of martial law and restrictions on free speech and assembly.

"We're also particularly concerned that the political process doesn’t seem to represent all elements of Thai society," Russel said. "An inclusive process promotes political reconciliation, which in turn is key to long term stability. That’s where our interests lie. The alternative – a narrow, restrictive process – carries the risk of leaving many Thai citizens feeling that they’ve been excluded from the political process." 

Gen. Prayuth repeated to reporters today that his military government is not allied with either of Thailand's political factions, and that the coup on 22 May 2014 was necessary to "move the country forward." 

"If today things were still the same, and protests were still taking place like six months ago, what would have happened?" Gen. Prayuth asked. "How many more people would have died?"

Nearly 30 people were killed in the six months of anti-government protests that preceded the 22 May coup. Gen. Prayuth has insisted that it was necessary for the military to step in to prevent further bloodshed between the protesters and rival pro-government demonstrators, who were also holding mass rallies in Bangkok at the time. 

The junta chairman also told reporters today that there is no link between the diplomat’s trip to Thailand and Yingluck’s recent impeachment, which the junta-appointed legislature authorized last week.

"The US [officials] aren't here because of the impeachment of the former Prime Minister," Gen. Prayuth said. "The timing of the visit is up to them. The media should not speculate on its own. The media likes to analyze things and make assumptions."

When a reporter asked Gen. Prayuth what he hopes to explain to US representatives about the situation in Thailand, the junta chairman said he wants American diplomats to know about "the solutions to human trafficking in the fishery industry."

"We want to explain that we have these problems, and our plans to move the country forward," he said. "As for democratic procedures, we are moving ahead with them, such as preparing for an election and drafting a new constitution."

Related coverage:
US Embassy Did Not Invite Thai Junta For July 4th Party: Official

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BANGKOK – Thailand's national anti-graft agency says it needs more evidence to determine whether the military government's purchase of pricey microphones involved corruption.

Sansern Poljiak, sec-gen of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), said the Commission has collected relevant evidence regarding the microphones, which cost 145,000 baht each, but officials are still investigating whether the purchase was in violation of any laws.

"The officials have completely collected all the evidence in this case and already submitted it to the Commission," Sansern explained. "But we think that the information does not adequately answer the big questions. Some issues are still vague. So we ordered the officials to [collect more evidence]."

He added, "We expect that we will have a conclusion soon."

The 192 microphones, which cost the Thai taxpayers a total of 27 million baht, were bought by the Thai military government in September for the Cabinet conference room in the newly-decorated Government House.

The decoration was completed just after junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha was chosen as Prime Minister by the national interim lawmaker body, whose members were handpicked by Gen. Prayuth himself after he seized power in a coup on 22 May 2014. 

According to information about the renovation published on the government's website, in addition to the 145,000 baht-microphones, the military regime also ordered a 520,000-baht television screen, 19,000-baht TV wall mount, and 110,000 baht worth of LED lamps for the Cabinet room.

Gen. Prayuth told reporters at the time that he approved the purchases of the new teleconference system because of its superior quality. 

"My voice is loud enough. I don't need a microphone. I don't want it. But I think we will need one in the future anyway, at least for a coordination with all the natural disasters centers, we will be able to see each other's faces in the video conference," Gen. Prayuth said on 14 October. "But since there seems to be a problem, you're welcome to investigate it."

Although the massive price tag of the Government House's renovation attracted criticism from activists and news agencies across the political spectrum, the NACC initially refused to launch an inquiry into the purchases. The agency eventually started an investigation after a group of activists filed a complaint with them in September 2014. 

In recent months the NACC has focused on a two-pronged legal takedown of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for her alleged failure to stop corruption in her government's rice-pledging scheme. 

To punish her for the alleged crime, the NACC asked the junta's rubber stamp parliament to impeach Yingluck, and simultaneously requested a criminal trial against her from the Office of Attorney-General. On 23 January, the parliament retrospectively impeached Yingluck, while the Attorney-General also took up the case against her in the Supreme Court's Division for Holders of Political Office. 

Related news: Pricey Microphone Scandal Greets Junta Cabinet

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