Video: Secretary Clinton's Press Availability With Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra
Just a reminder; The whole State Department budget is one-half of 1% of our entire budget, so please do not freak out that we are helping. Last night on TV I saw a Somalian baby who had been near death and so heartbreakingly thin that I cried. For very little money, with food we provided, he is healthy, happy, and chubby! Babies should be chubby. They have a lot of growing to do. What we are doing for Thailand needs to be done. Americans have hearts. If we forget or lose that, we are doomed. Secretary Clinton will not allow us to forget - not while she has breath in her body.
Oh, and by the way, climate change; it's real!
Joint Press Availability With Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State
Government House
Bangkok, Thailand
November 16, 2011
MS. CHAISAENG: Good evening ladies and gentlemen, viewers at home,
and members of the media. I am Thitima Chaisaeng, government
spokesperson. We will now have a joint press conference with Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Secretary of State of the United States
Mrs. Hillary Clinton. Secretary Clinton is on a visit to Thailand
during 16 to 17 November, 2011. So firstly, may I invite Your
Excellency, the Prime Minister, to deliver a statement to the press,
which will be followed by Secretary Clinton’s statement. PRIME MINISTER YINGLUCK: Madam Secretary, Excellencies,
distinguished members of the media, ladies and gentlemen, let me begin
by welcome Secretary Clinton to Thailand once again. This is always a
pleasure for us here in Thailand to welcome our friends from the United
States. As like my country with many share value and belief, Thailand
and the United States are allies and strategic partner that have long
enjoyed close tie for friendship and cooperations.
This is why I regret very much not being able to attend the APEC
Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Hawaii earlier this week. Secretary Clinton
graciously expressed strong support for my decision to stay at home
during the time of need. And we both look forward to my meeting with
President Obama during East Asia Summit, and the ASEAN-U.S. Leaders’
Meeting in Bali in a few days’ time. As a full-fledged democracy once
again, after the July general election and with the (inaudible) mandate
of the people, my government and I look forward to working even closely –
closer with the United States to promote our bilateral ties as well as
to address regional and international issue of common interest and
concern.
First and foremost, though, I wish to place on record our thanks and
appreciation to President Obama as well as the government and people of
the United States for the assistance extended to us to support of our
flood relief effort. The assistance, be it financial, technical, or
(inaudible) was not only generous, but timely. Given the increased
(inaudible) of severity of national disaster in the regions and
elsewhere, the need for closer cooperations on disaster management
cannot be overemphasized. In this connection, Thailand has been in
discussion with the United States about possibility of using the U-Tapao
Airport for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, (inaudible)
propose, especially on rapid deployment in case of disaster in the
regions. (Inaudible) standard operations – operating procedure, and
enhancing skill and readiness for (inaudible) capabilities.
We in Thailand stand ready to work in the partnership with the United
States on this very important issue, the damaging effect of natural
disaster on crop. Cultivation and food production is also an issue of
the greatest concern, one that is directly related to food security.
This is an issue that we will have to address as well as in order to
ensure the well-being of our peoples. I also reaffirmed that this
government attach high priorities to promoting political reconciliation
and social cohesion. This is being done through our strong support for
ongoing work for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and providing
fair and equitable remedy to all those affected, reconciliation and
stabilities, good governance, enhanced (inaudible), universally
acceptable rule of law. I believe we are regaining the confidence and
trust of Thai people and the world.
With the APEC meeting just conclude, I also wish to take
opportunities to congratulate the United States for the successful
chairmanship of APEC during this (inaudible) significant progress was
made toward its mission to regional, economic (inaudible) and to the
(inaudible) goal for free and open trade and investment.
Lastly, I want to say how much we welcome the United States continued
engagement with Asia, and Southeast Asia in particular. I, therefore,
look forward to my bilateral meeting with President Obama on Saturday.
Given the base and depth of our partnership, as far as our similar
outlook on many of the challenge and opportunities now before us, there
is much Thailand and the United States can do together. Thank you. SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, good evening, everyone, and thank you
very much, Prime Minister, for welcoming me so warmly back to Bangkok.
It is a pleasure to be here to renew the ties that have bound the United
States and Thailand together for so many years. Our nations are
connected through not only security cooperation and business ties, but
the democratic values we share and the bonds of family and friendship
that link our people.
During this past century, we have stood by each other in times of
challenge, and we are proud to stand with you now in this time of
challenge as you contend with the worst floods of your nation’s history.
Tomorrow, I will visit one of the largest flood evacuation facilities
and talk with flood victims. And in the days and weeks ahead, the United
States will continue to identify ways we can provide both military and
civilian assistance to help save and restore lives, to support
Thailand’s long-term recovery and rebuilding.
We have worked closely and continuously with the Thai Government from
the start of these floods. Early on, we responded to requests for
assistance by providing emergency support, including water pumps, boats,
generators, survival kits. And as the needs grew, we intensified our
efforts. Assessment teams are on the ground now to prepare for U.S.
contributions to help Thailand restore vital infrastructure and services
and address public health needs. We are providing direct medical
services and improving hospital readiness.
One of our ships, the USS Lassen, is now in port with crew and
helicopters to assist in the recovery efforts. One of our major areas
of focus will be to help the Thai Government reopen the Don Muang
Airport, Thailand’s second-largest airport, to resume commerce and
tourism, and also help reconnect people with their families. We will
also help the Thai police return to full strength by assisting them in
reopening police stations when it is possible to do so. And we are
identifying sites that hold historical significance to the Thai people
to help protect and restore monuments of Thailand’s proud and ancient
culture.
I want to emphasize that although, of course, we are all focused on
the immediate needs, the United States will be with you for the long
run. We are working to help Thailand improve its capacity to prevent,
prepare for, and respond to disasters like these floods. And we will
support Thailand’s economic recovery as a trade investment and
development partner. I recognize that these floods pose an early and
serious challenge to the new Thai Government and to the hard-won peace
that the Thai people achieved after the political violence that you have
endured in recent years.
The United States stands firmly behind the civilian government of
Thailand and the work it is doing to consolidate strong democratic
institutions, ensure good governance, guarantee the rule of law, and
protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. We encourage the
government to move forward with a political reconciliation process,
which is critical to Thailand’s long-term stability and security. As it
does so, it can also count on support from the United States.
We had an opportunity to discuss not only bilateral and regional
issues, but global ones – how to deepen commercial ties and expand
trade, how to strengthen security cooperation on issues ranging from
proliferation to maritime security, which will be discussed at the East
Asia Summit. I’m very pleased that the prime minister will be attending
the East Asia Summit and the U.S.-ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting. I fully
supported, as did President Obama, her decision not to travel to Hawaii
for the APEC meeting because of the press of business here at home.
But Thailand is a leader, and having the prime minister present for
the East Asia Summit and the U.S.-ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting is very
important. For more than 170 years, our alliance has helped keep our
nation and our region secure, and that has, in turn, permitted us all to
become more prosperous and freer. There is such a long history of
cooperation between us, and that will continue far into the future. The
United States – not only our government, but our people – are committed
to the people of Thailand and to the government. We are proud and
grateful for this alliance. It has delivered results, and now we have to
ensure that it continues to deliver results for both of our people for
decades to come.
Thank you, Prime Minister. MS. CHAISAENG: Thank you. May I invite members of the press to
ask two questions? Today, I was contacted by two members of the press.
One will be from AFP. The other one will be from the Bangkok Post.
Please, identify your name. AFP. Yes, please. QUESTION: Thank you, Madam Secretary. Thank you, Madam Prime
Minister. I wanted to follow up a little bit on what you’re talking
about the political reconciliation. You mentioned that with the floods,
Madam Secretary, with the floods that it was important to have
reconciliation. For both of you, do you feel that all sides in Thailand
are on the same side right now at this time of floods? Are people
working together? What are the signs you see on that?
And if I can kind of follow up to the prime minister, there have been
reports that your cabinet is working on an amnesty that could
potentially affect former Prime Minister Thaksin. I wanted to see if you
could comment on that, say whether that is true, and if so, why? SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I will start by reiterating that we
have encouraged the Thai Government to continue to move forward with the
political reconciliation process, to address the violence that
surrounded the political unrest of recent years, particularly through
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Thailand. This encouragement
from us comes from our shared commitment with Thailand to democratic
values and institutions that underpins both of our nations and our
alliance.
And we are encouraged by the many steps that the government continues
to take to consolidate strong, democratic institutions, to ensure good
governance, to guarantee the rule of law, and to protect the rights and
freedoms of its citizens. The free and fair elections that were held in
Thailand in August demonstrated Thailand’s commitment to the democratic
process. It is certainly up to the government and people of Thailand to
determine exactly how to proceed, but we are encouraging it and quite
heartened at the steps we have seen taken. PRIME MINISTER YINGLUCK: (Inaudible) to go back to your
questions, your question is – sorry that I missed this cabinet meeting
because by coincident of the trip that – to go back, was on Monday
night. And in this detail, I think I’ll – the deputy prime minister will
handle this. But normally in the process, that will be the common
process, and everything we have to make sure that it’s (inaudible) law
and then will be applied for everyone. Thank you. MS. CHAISAENG: Yes. The second question, please. QUESTION: Madam Secretary of State, (inaudible) from Bangkok Post.
Could you elaborate the additional $10 million that you announced
today? How would this – will it be expedited? And also the Don Muang
project, how could that be – the drain and repair thing? Thank you. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much. Let me begin, again,
by offering, on behalf of President Obama and our government and all of
the American people, my sincere condolences to those who have lost so
much during this terrible flooding. We’ve had our own experience with
natural disasters, including terrible flooding. And I personally think
that as terrible as natural disasters of all kinds are, flooding is
probably the worst. It’s hardest to control, it’s hardest to end, it’s
hardest to begin the recovery process because it is just such a
long-term process for, first, the waters to rise and then to recede. And
so we have great sympathy for what the people of Thailand are going
through.
Since the beginning of the flooding, we have been in close consultation,
working with the Thai Government, both the civilian authorities and the
military authorities, to assess needs and assist flood victims. And we
have provided funding, as you may know, to the Thai Red Cross and the
International Organization for Migration to quickly procure and
distribute relief supplies. One thing we have learned is that it is not
for the United States to determine what you need. You tell us what you
need, and then we try to respond.
So we are working to open the Don Muang Airport, because that’s a
high priority of the Thai Government. It will provide not only an
additional staging area, but also hopefully get tourism moving so that
people will come to beautiful Thailand, as they historically have done
for this upcoming season. We also were told that working with public
health was important and providing technical management assistance to
the flood management system, as well as immediate flood relief in the
form of pumps and boats and generators. All of that is in process, and
one of the reasons why our government sent the USS Lassen to the
harbor, where it arrived today, is because of its helicopter capacity to
work with the Thai military and disaster officials to be able to
quickly respond.
Now I know that anytime there is a disaster like this, people are in a
state of shock and great despair, because oftentimes they see
everything they’ve worked for either washed away or flooded. And we have
great sympathy for that, but we commend Thailand’s resilience in the
face of this historic disaster. We have a lot of confidence in the
government and people of Thailand, that not only in this rescue period
but in the periods to come, the restoration and recovery period and the
rebuilding period, that you will come back even stronger. Thailand’s
progress has been remarkable to all of us who have watched over the last
20 years, and we expect even more from Thailand in the future.
We’ve also been working with our U.S. companies to assist in flood
relief efforts and to ensure their continued investment in Thailand. And
I’m very proud that Coca-Cola is teaming up with Habitat for Humanity
on reconstruction projects, and Chevron has donated $2 million toward
relief and recovery. So it’s not only our government what we are doing;
it’s also our private sector. And the prime minister and I discussed
other ways going forward that we will work together.
So we know this is challenging work, but it is work that we are committed to doing. Thank you. MS. CHAISAENG: Thank you. (In Thai.) Ladies and gentlemen,
this concludes the press conference for today. Thank you very much, Your
Excellency, the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Secretary of
State of the United States Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, for delivering
their statements to the press. And also, Madam Secretary, thank you very
much for visiting Thailand and thank you for your support for
developing the cordial relationships between Thailand and United States
of America.
Lastly, thank you, everyone, for joining the press conference. Goodbye.
