Western diplomatic missions have responded to the Foreign Ministry's accusation that they violated protocol by observing a Thai politician being charged by police with sedition, by calling their actions as standard diplomatic practice.
Foreign Minister, Don Pramudwinai, said on Tuesday that foreign countries are barred from closely observing such procedures "not only by etiquette but also by rules and regulations that the whole world abides by". The ministry on Wednesday accused the diplomats of interfering in the country's internal affairs.
Thirteen foreign diplomats were present at Pathumwan police station on Saturday, where Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the Future Forward Party (FFP), acknowledged charges of sedition and other crimes.
He says the charges are politically motivated.
The FFP came in a strong third in the general election on March 24 and positions itself as being opposed to political interference from the powerful military.
Several criminal complaints and protests to the election body have already been lodged against Mr Thanathorn and his party.
The election results are to be certified by May 9, and the contending parties are jostling to establish alliances or have opponents disqualified.
Mr Don on Tuesday had complained about the diplomats being at the police station informally, but his ministry on Wednesday issued a diplomatic note to register "displeasure and concern".
It said the diplomats' actions violated an article in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that says diplomats "have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs'' of the nation in which they are stationed.
It said their high-profile presence at the police station "and the publicity it generated were clearly an act of political significance, seen by the Thai public largely as a show of moral support for Mr Thanathorn".
"In other words, it was a political act or a political statement on the part of the embassies,'' it said. "It clearly amounted to the embassies choosing to be a player in Thai politics at least by having taken sides in the country's political landscape."
US embassy spokeswoman Jillian Bonnardeaux said US charge d'affaires Peter Haymond met a senior Foreign Ministry official on Wednesday at the ministry's request.
"The US embassy regularly attends court proceedings in high profile cases around the world in order to observe fair trial guarantees and respect for rule of law,'' she said in an emailed statement. "This is standard diplomatic practice. The US interest in this case, as in many other cases, is to observe the judicial process and obtain first-hand information about the handling of the case."
A statement from the European Union delegation posted to Thailand made a similar point by saying: "observation of hearings and trials is standard diplomatic practice worldwide. Its only purpose is to enhance the understanding of adherence to international standards such as human rights and due process."
"Such observations are in no way indications of political preference or support for specific actors," it said.
