Ambassador Glyn T. Davies’ statement to the press following his farewell call with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha
September 26, 2018
Government House, Bangkok, Thailand
Ambassador Davies began his remarks by briefly summarizing his conversation with the Prime Minister:
We talked about all the wonderful events that I have witnessed during my time here. The year of mourning for His Majesty the late king and that I had a great honor of representing my country, watching the people of Thailand come together in sadness and sorrow. I also noted the great good fortune I had as Ambassador to watch the Kingdom come together in hope and love in order to ensure that those boys, the beautiful boys, came out of that cave at Tham Luang with their whole lives ahead of them, and how proud the United States was to help with that endeavor.
I just wanted to come and speak with you. I know you get lonely down here, and I wanted to come and say “hi” to you and thank you very much for what you do. So, thank you so much. Swasdi krub. Khob khun krub.
If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them. Any questions?
Reporter: I’m from Channel 3. I want to ask about how confident the U.S. side is about the election’s exact date of 24 February?
Ambassador Davies: I don’t think it’s my role to get into predicting the future. All I can do is state, as I already have, the position of the United States, and you know what it is. We’re an old democracy. We believe in democracy. We are obviously watching as a friend and an ally of the Kingdom of Thailand. We want Thailand to be strong and prosperous and free as a nation. We’re watching the process unfold. I have always said, and I’ll say again, that we’re hopeful that the Kingdom returns soon to a democratically elected civilian government. We also hope there is sufficient time in a run-up to the election for people here to participate in the political process, which means that civil liberty is respected and political space opened up. It’s the same position we have always had, but I’m not going to say I think it won’t go well, or bad. That’s not my job. I don’t want to interfere in the internal politics of this beautiful Kingdom. So, I’m not going to do that. Anyway, thank you very much for that question. Keep asking the tough questions even if people like me don’t always answer the ones you want. Keep doing the job you do. It’s very important. Anyway, thank you so much everybody. Khob khun krub. All the best to you. Thank you very, very much. Long life, prosperity, happiness, and Chaiyo to the Kingdom of Thailand. Thank you.
