Thai-U.S. security ties still feel chill of 2014 coup
By Juarawee Kittisilpa and Amy Sawitta Lefevre SATTAHIP, Thailand (Reuters) - The largest multilateral military exercise in Asia-Pacific kicked off on Tuesday in Thailand, with the United States maintaining a scaled down presence due to a 2014 coup in Bangkok and calling for a swift return to democracy. The exercise, attended by some 27 countries this year, also comes amid rising tension in the region following North Korea's latest rocket launch. It also follows an attack in Jakarta last month that killed eight and was claimed by Islamic State, the radical group's first assault on Indonesia. The Cobra Gold military exercise has been held annually in Thailand for more than three decades but the United States scaled down its presence following a May 2014 coup by the Thai military. "As in 2015 when the exercise was significantly refocused and scaled down in light of the military coup, in 2016 it will remain somewhat reduced in size...to reflect U.S. concerns about Thailand’s political developments," U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Glyn Davies told reporters. "Diplomatic ties are not on hold with Thailand. Certainly the military ties are not on hold with Thailand." Washington has sent 3,600 troops for this year's exercise, the same as last year, said Major Dave Eastburn, a spokesman for the U.S. military. Thailand's junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order, has faced repeated criticism for what rights groups say is a deepening slide into authoritarianism since the army took power. Following the coup, the U.S. responded by freezing $4.7 million of security-related aid and cancelling some security cooperation. The United States and others have called for a swift return to democracy for Southeast Asia's second-largest economy but, with the election timeline ever-sliding, how soon polls will take place remains unclear. The military generals running Thailand have previously made a new constitution a prerequisite for a general election but last month Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the vote would go ahead in mid-2017, even if it had to be held under an old constitution. Since the coup, Thailand, a long-time Washington ally, has cosied up to regional superpower China, which says it supports the Thai military government. (Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Michael Perry)
