US Deputy Secretary of State pledges Covid-19 aid

PM Prayut Chan-o-cha met with United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman yesterday to discuss the Covid-19 vaccine situation. The US representative acknowledged Thailand’s struggle to procure and distribute vaccines to everyone in the country, observing that many countries are grappling with similar issues.

She declared that the US has been pursuing a policy of procuring excess supplies of Covid-19 vaccines in order to aid other countries to get their citizens vaccinated and begin the road to recovery. The US, once the centre of the Covid-19 pandemic has been vaccinating its population at breakneck speed. 50% of the country has now received at least one jab while 40% are fully vaccinated with the country having administered over 296 million vaccines. A group of American expats urged Sherman to earmark vaccines for expats them in any donations.

A fair amount of the meeting was diplomatic back-patting, as PM Prayut offered congratulations for Sherman for her recent appointment to the Deputy Secretary of State position and asked her to pass on the same to Joe Biden on his presidential victory. He stated that the people of Thailand watch American politics and look forward to strengthening the long-standing friendly relationship between the 2 countries.

The US has had positive relations with Thailand for 188 years, with strong cooperation in security and economy. The US Deputy Secretary of State thanked PM Prayut for his reception and spoke kindly of the long-term partnership between the 2 countries after PM Prayut praised her experience and expertise and expressed hope for further growth together.

The meeting was a success, and PM Prayut thanked Sherman for the support and declared Thailand willing and thankful to receive Covid-19 aid from the US to help procure vaccines and fight the pandemic.

The US Embassy in Bangkok released a statement on Sherman’s visit and meetings with PM Prayut, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, and international organisations. The statement reconfirmed the support of the US in Covid-19 aid to Thailand, pledging US $30 million in assistance.

The Embassy also mentioned that the US Deputy Secretary of State discussed the crisis in Myanmar, highlighting the importance of democracy, fundamental freedoms, freedom of expression, and human rights. In her meeting with non-governmental international organisations, she discussed humanitarian aid to the Burmese people and called for an end to violence and a return to democracy from the military junta.