,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #ghi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #c1 #bjbj,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 and ,mr4 ,murphy7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,urging the ,government of ,thailand to protect and uphold democracy1 human rights1 the rule of law1 and rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression1 and for other purposes4 ,whereas the ,kingdom of ,thailand and the ,united ,states of ,america first established relations in #ahah and entered into the ,treaty of ,amity and ,commerce in #ahcc1 formalizing diplomatic relations2 ,whereas ,thailand was the first treaty ally of the ,united ,states in the ,asia-,pacific region and remains a steadfast friend of the ,united ,states with shared values of democracy1 rule of law1 universal human rights1 and a free market2 ,whereas the ,united ,states and ,thailand in #aied signed the ,southeast ,asia ,collective ,defense ,treaty 7,manila ,pact71 pledging to strengthen the fabric of peace and freedom and to uphold the principles of democracy1 individual liberty and the rule of law2 ,whereas1 through the ,treaty of ,amity and ,economic ,relations of #aiff1 along with a diverse and growing trading relationship1 the ,united ,states and ,thailand have developed strong economic ties2 ,whereas the ,united ,states recognizes ,thailand as a founding member of the ,association of ,southeast ,asian ,nations 7,,asean7 and host of the #ceth ,,asean ,summit in #bjai1 which reaffirmed that body's commitment to a region of lasting peace1 security and stability1 sustained economic growth1 shared prosperity and social progress2 ,whereas ,thailand was designated a major non-,,nato ally in #bjjc1 and is one of the strongest security partners of the ,united ,states1 a relationship that was recognized and expanded upon in the ,united ,states-,thailand ,joint ,vision ,statement for the ,thai-,united ,states ,defense ,alliance in #bjab2 ,whereas the ,governments of ,thailand and the ,united ,states hold numerous joint military exercises1 including ,cobra ,gold1 the largest annual multinational military exercise in the ,indo-,pacific region1 which is hosted by ,thailand2 ,whereas the ,government of ,thailand continues to be a partner on humanitarian and refugee assistance1 including support from ,u-,tapao ,royal ,thai ,navy ,air ,field for multinational relief efforts following the #bjjd ,indian ,ocean tsunami and #bjae ,nepal earthquake2 ,whereas ,thailand ended absolute monarchy and transitioned to a constitutional monarchy in #aicb1 and since then has revised its constitution seventeen times1 including a #aiig constitution that enshrined democratically elected representatives in a bicameral national assembly and the prime minister as head of government1 and a #bjjg constitution that largely retained that structure2 ,whereas cycles of coups and military rule have been a recurring feature of governance in ,thailand for almost a century2 ,whereas the ,royal ,thai military conducted a coup in #bjad1 abolished the #bjjg constitution1 declared martial law1 and replaced the civilian government with a junta under the leadership of ,army ,commander ,prayuth ,chan-ocha2 ,whereas the junta's ,national ,council for ,peace and ,order drafted a new constitution which was promulgated in #bjag1 and served to erode ,thailand's democracy and constitutional protection of rights2 ,whereas1 in ,march #bjai1 ,thailand held elections that several independent monitoring groups declared as deeply flawed and heavily tilted to favor the military junta1 whose party1 headed by ,prayuth1 formed a new government with the support of the military-appointed and unelected ,senate2 ,whereas1 in ,january #bjbj1 the opposition political party ,future ,forward was dissolved and banned on order of the ,constitutional ,court following a flawed legal process premised on spurious charges2 ,whereas the ,government of ,thailand has failed to properly investigate issues with respect to violent assaults against democracy activists and government critics within ,thailand1 as well as enforced disappearances and killings of exiled ,thai political dissidents across ,asia2 ,whereas1 since ,february #bjbj1 tens of thousands of protesters across ,thailand1 largely students and youth1 have peacefully called for democratically elected government1 constitutional reform1 and respect for human rights2 ,whereas the ,government of ,thailand has responded to these peaceful protests with repressive measures1 including intimidation tactics1 surveillance1 harassment1 arrests1 violence and imprisonment2 ,whereas ,prayuth declared a state of emergency on ,october #ae1 #bjbj1 and characterized the growing pro-democracy protests as threats to national security and public safety2 ,whereas more than #agj peaceful protesters have been arrested since ,february #bjbj1 many of them charged with serious crimes1 including sedition1 that carry potentially long prison sentences2 and ,whereas ,,unicef has expressed concern about the potential harm that children face amidst the ongoing protests in ,thailand and called on all parties to uphold children and young people's right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly1 and to protect them from all forms of violence and intimidation3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 reaffirms the strong relationship between the ,united ,states and ,thailand based on shared democratic values and strategic interests2 7#b7 stands in solidarity with the people of ,thailand in their quest for a democratically elected government1 political reforms1 long-term peace1 and respect for established international human rights standards2 7#c7 urges the ,government of ,thailand to protect and uphold democracy1 human rights1 the rule of law1 and rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression1 as well as immediately and unconditionally release political activists and refrain from harassing1 intimidating1 or persecuting those engaged in peaceful protests1 with particular care for the rights and well-being of children and students2 7#d7 calls on the ,united ,states ,government to support the right of the people of ,thailand to peacefully and democratically determine their future2 and 7#e7 unequivocally states that a military coup to resolve the current political crisis would be counterproductive and risk further undermining bilateral relations between the ,united ,states and ,thailand4