BANGKOK (AP) — A summary of government reactions to Thailand’s military coup, declared Thursday:
UNITED STATES
Washington, which froze U.S. military assistance after Thailand’s last coup in 2006 for 1 ½ years until democracy was restored, said it was reviewing military ties and preparing to suspend $10 million in aid to Thailand. It also called for the release of any detained political leaders and voiced concern about media restrictions under the coup.
“‘There is no justification for this military coup,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.
AUSTRALIA
Australia expressed grave concerns that Thailand’s military seized power despite insisting two days earlier that it was not launching a coup, and said the government was reviewing its relationship with Thailand, a key tourist destination for Australian tourists.
“We need to know the reasons for announcing the coup just days after imposing martial law on the basis that it was not a coup,” Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.
JAPAN:
Tokyo said the coup was “deeply regrettable.”
“Japan strongly urges those concerned that democracy in Thailand be quickly restored,” Foreign Affairs Minister Fumio Kishida said.
MALAYSIA:
Neighbor Malaysia hoped that all parties in Thailand would be able to work toward a peaceful solution and urged Malaysians to postpone travel to the country for security reasons.
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