EU urges return to democracy in Thailand

HELSINKI - The Finnish presidency of the European Union on Thursday reiterated its call for Thailand to return to democracy following last week's military coup and said it would keep a close eye on developments in the country.

"The European Union attaches great importance to Thailand's speedy return to democracy and constitutional order, legitimised by free and democratic elections to be held as soon as possible," the presidency said in a statement.

Civilian prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in the September 19 coup.

The actions of the new military-appointed government would be evaluated by the EU, particularly "in the area of human rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, as well as the military leadership's specific assurances to this respect," it said.

"The European Union emphasizes that it is for the people of Thailand as a whole to decide upon Thailand's future government," it added.

The EU statement came as the United States announced that it had imposed sanctions against Thailand, cutting off millions of dollars in assistance to the Thai military which has enjoyed years of close ties to US armed forces in the Asia-Pacific region.

Agence France-Presse