<div>I've received the official invitation letter from the United States Embassy of Thailand 2 weeks ago. It was sent to the faculty of Chulalongkorn university. I learned from the letter that I'm invited to attend the 241 years of Independence Day celebration which will be held on 29th of June, at InterContinental hotel, Bangkok: As an ordinary student, of course, I’m genuinely delighted for such an opportunity.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>However, being invited to this event also made me question something. Why am I invited to this event? I'm not different from any other student. </div>

<div> <div>The Thai Foreign Minister has been shamed by the US Ambassador publicly confirming that a statement expressing Washington’s “concerns” on Thailand’s human rights situation is real after the Minister recently claimed that the statement was not issued by the US Department of State.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Tuesday, 10 May 2016, AFP <a href="https://in.news.yahoo.com/us-condemns-arrest-thai-activists-211618316.html">reported</a> that a spokesperson of the US Department of the State “condemned” Thailand for the arrest on 6 May of an activist's mother. </div></div>

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<p>This article looks into the US perception toward Thailand’s political divide. For the United States, traditionally, the benefits of preserving the pro-establishment forces position have been manifest. It permitted the bilateral relationship to become more predictable and less disruptive because of the elites’ continued domination of political power and foreign policy making process. Governments may come and go, but the traditional elites denoted a permanent feature of Thai politics.</p> <p></p>

<div>Following the rising tension in Bangkok due to the anti-government mass demonstration, the European Union and United States has said they were “concerned” with the situation and called on all sides to avoid violence, while Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) are especially concerned with the safety of the journalists.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<div>It has been almost two years since the US has shifted its orientation back to Asia. Its foreign policy’s motive is clear: containing the rise of China. The Obama administration has initiated a number of strategies to reassure the stability of the Asia-Pacific region, for instance, stationing 2,500 marines in the northern part of Australia and pushing forward the Trans-Pacific Partnership to assert its influence in the region.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Despite the return of the US in this region, China has designed a strategy to respond to its American counterpart. </div>