The “one-size-fits-all” policy pushed by the United States does not suit everybody, and Washington needs to understand different situations existing in other countries, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in opening the Wharton Global Forum in Bangkok on Friday.
Gen Prayut said he had not wished to be prime minister, but he had to be in the interests of national progress.
Bringing order to the country was also bringing it opportunities, he said.
“The East and the West are different. I ask you to tell the US that its one-size-fits-all shirt does not suit everyone. There must be different sizes,” he said.
“So, do not make one-size shirts for people worldwide. That is not possible, because each country has its own problems. Help from the US, the West and other countries will improve the life of people worldwide and make them happy,” he said.
Gen Prayut, who led the May 22 coup last year, said Thailand remains open and his government had never infringed on human rights.
He said many countries understand Thailand’s problems. Many others still do not, but he does not view them as enemies.
His government was ready to solve foreigners’ problems in Thailand, and it appeared to be taking even better care of foreigners than of Thai people, he said adding that foreign tourism is still increasing amid political change.
“Today we have relations with many countries. Do not hate Thailand because of me. Today I am ready to clear obstacles ... we must talk because we are friends. Otherwise, small countries will always bow [down],” Gen Prayut said.
He said he can visit many countries, but the US does not welcome him even though he has allowed all Washington’s representatives to visit Thailand because of the ties that have existed between the two countries for more than 200 years.
“We have close cooperation with many countries, including Asean plus three, plus six, I can visit the countries I have mentioned. For the country that bars me from visiting, I assign my deputy to go,” he added.
Gen Prayut said conflicts in the world could be resolved in two ways — using force or tackling the causes of conflicts.
He said that using force to deal with conflicts must be made under international resolutions and carried out with caution. The premier, however, emphasised the need to resolve problems such as poverty and disparity.
The prime minister was speaking at a forum at the Shangri-La Hotel organised by the US-based Wharton University of Pennsylvania on the topic, “Asia in a Borderless World”.
The premier later left for a two-day trip to Japan to attend the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai.
He was scheduled to meet Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the meeting.
The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday issued a statement calling on Mr Abe and Mr Ban to tell Gen Prayut at their meetings in Japan to end his government’s hold on power and return civilian rule.
“Prime Minister Abe and Secretary-General Ban should press General Prayut to uphold his pledge to respect human rights and restore democratic civilian rule through free and fair elections,” Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch’s Asia director, said.
“Japan and the United Nations should insist on a clear deadline for the end of military rule in Thailand,” he said.
In the statement, HRW said, “Ten months after the May 2014 military coup, Thailand’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order continues to violate fundamental human rights and freedoms and has yet to take substantial steps to restore civilian rule.”