08/21/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/21/2024 08:01
Washington, D.C. - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) along with Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific Chairwoman Young Kim (R-CA) and Ranking Member Ami Bera (D-CA), issued the following statement regarding the Thailand Constitutional Court's rulings to dismiss the sitting Prime Minister and dissolve the Move Forward Party.
"We are deeply concerned by the Thailand Constitutional Court's separate rulings to remove Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office, dissolve the Move Forward Party, and ban 11 of Move Forward's leaders from politics. These decisions undermine Thailand's democracy and the aspirations of the Thai people, 25 million of whom voted for the Move Forward Party or Pheu Thai Party in last year's elections. After the military coup ten years ago and the Constitutional Court's similar dissolution of the Future Forward Party in 2020, these are troubling developments for Thailand's democratic progression. As Thailand moves forward under new Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, we expect Thai citizens and parties to be able to openly participate in the democratic process as well as exercise their freedoms and human rights."
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