PATRICK WINN talks to Kourosh Ziabari
Kourosh Ziabari: What caused the dissolution of Thailand’s Thai Rak Thai party in 2007 by the Constitutional Court of Thailand? Did the West endorse this movement which was preceded by the 2006 coup?
Patrick Winn: The defunct Thai Rak Thai, like other parties affiliated with Thaksin Shinawatra, was dissolved under fraud accusations. The West has largely taken a hands-off approach to steering Thailand’s political development. America, which counts Thailand as its oldest Asian ally, has distanced itself from censure of any Thai political movements. U.S. leaders like to vaguely encourage democracy, but they’ve shown no interest in direct interference.
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