Several of Thailand’s top foreign donors are reviewing their aid portfolios following last week’s military coup there, a move that could further threaten the country’s development progress.
Top officials from the United Nations, European Union and other international institutions have raised concerns about the country’s stability and democratic process. The United States on Saturday suspended military aid and, like the United Kingdom and Australia, among other countries, is reviewing its development assistance to Southeast Asia’s second largest economy as well.
This is not the first time that the United States has suspended aid activities in Thailand. In 2006, a military coup deposed then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, which led the Bush administration to hold $24 million in assistance to the country — a move mandated by law under the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act in the event of a military takeover.
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