Transcript: Jen Psaki Spokesperson Daily Press Briefing on Thailand Washington, DC May 20, 2014 QUESTION: -- no problem – hoping that the martial law would be a temporary action. So did you receive guarantees from the Thai military that it would be a temporary action and that they would not stage a coup, given the pattern of coups in Thailand? MS. PSAKI: Well, we are of course following the situation closely. They – the army has stated publicly that it would be a temporary action. We expect them to abide by their commitment that this is a temporary action to prevent violence and to respect – and that they will respect democratic institutions. We have remained in regular communication with the military since the imposition of martial law and are continuing with pre-scheduled meetings. We’re also in touch with the government. We continue to urge the government to respect – to refrain from violence and respect human rights as well. We are encouraging all to do that, of course. So we’ve been in close touch. I think the key – our key focus here, as was in our statement, is encouraging calm, encouraging protection of civil liberties and freedom of speech and freedom of media – included in our statement was some concern expressed about that – and support for upcoming elections. Obviously, that’s up to Thailand to determine the next steps on that, but those are our principles in this case. QUESTION: Have your concerns about freedom of the press and freedom of media – freedom of speech been addressed satisfactorily, or do you still have them 24 hour – or 24 hours -- MS. PSAKI: We still are gathering information, Matt. And so all of our concerns haven’t been alleviated, but we’re still looking at what’s happening on the ground. QUESTION: Okay. So do you believe – do you regard the declaration of martial law and the army taking control of everything – do you believe that that constitutes a coup? MS. PSAKI: Well, Matt, obviously the situation on the ground is very fluid. As you may know, martial law, the declaration of that is allowed for in the Thai constitution. But we’re certainly closely watching what’s happening on the ground and we’ll continue to make evaluations of what’s happening. QUESTION: So the Administration’s position is that until something extra-constitutional happens, it’s not a coup? MS. PSAKI: Well, I’m just stating what’s allowed for in the constitution, which I think is an important point -- QUESTION: Well, what’s allowed for doesn’t always – isn’t always good. What’s allowed for doesn’t always mean democracy, doesn’t always mean freedom of speech. MS. PSAKI: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: And clearly it – this doesn’t, because you have concerns about them. So I’m just wondering, though, is – does something, not even just with Thailand but in the case of any country, does it have to be outside of the constitution for you to decide whether or not it’s a coup, or are we going to go through this ridiculous exercise that we went through with Egypt where you guys basically contorted yourselves to avoid calling it a coup by deciding not to make a decision on whether it was or not? MS. PSAKI: I wouldn’t compare the two, and I’m not going to make a sweeping claim about how we look at each situation. QUESTION: Okay. MS. PSAKI: We’re looking at Thailand individually. I’m not putting any names on anything. I’m just noting what’s allowed for in the constitution. And obviously the fact that the army has committed to a temporary action here – that this is a temporary action is an important component and one that we will continue to watch closely. QUESTION: So that’s important, that they say that it’s temporary? MS. PSAKI: And that they committed not to undermine democratic institutions. QUESTION: Okay. And so there won’t be any kind of – you would have to wait – or you would wait before making any determinations on aid, whether or not this triggers any kind of – (inaudible) right now, none of those triggers have been pulled? MS. PSAKI: Correct. QUESTION: Okay. QUESTION: But you don’t agree with Human Rights Watch who said this morning that the martial law is the de facto coup? MS. PSAKI: Well, again, I think I’ll stand by what I’ve stated in terms of what our views are of the situation on the ground. I don’t have much more to add to it other than to say that we believe all parties must work together to resolve differences through dialogue and find a way forward. This underscores the need for elections that determine – to determine the will of the Thai people. But clearly, it’s a very fluid situation on the ground. We’re watching it closely. state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2014/05/226365.htm#THAILAND
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 04:40:37 +0000
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