Bangkok, 5 February 2014, The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs reported their visit to Italy and the US to clarify the political situation in Thailand. It was found that many countries had wrong perception of the situation. Committee Chairperson, Ms.Pikulkaew Kraireuk reported on the Committee’s finding during the visit to Italy and the US where they met Italian senators and US Congressmen to explain about the present situation in Thailand. Mrs.Pikulkaew presented information that the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the general election did not help ease the situation as the protesters were still out on the streets. The problems such as electoral fraud and gross misconduct of the government administration were not solved. It was imperative therefore that political reform should take place before an election, and the caretaker government must resign in order to make the reform process transparent. The Italian senators acknowledged their understanding, and were also concerned for violence from a third party who might try to incite unrest.
The visit to the US was aimed at meeting Congress members and providing facts about the current situation. Even though congress members had already been informed, and some did have an understanding of the situation, but the majority of the Congress members were of the view that Thailand election process must take place. However, the Thai Senate Committee delegation believed that the Congress members had somewhat been misinformed. Other Senate committee members such as Mrs.Rojana Tositrakul, Mr.Thawil Pliensri, and Mr.Somchai Sawangkarn commented that the recent political protest and election had not been conducted according to the democratic norm. As a consequence, it was not easy and would take time to create a better understanding in the international circle. They nonetheless urged Thai expatriates who had been well informed of the facts to assist in disseminating correct information to their international colleagues and friends.
