EU resumes official contacts with Thai junta

The EU on Monday agreed to resume political contacts "at all levels" with Thailand, more than three years after suspending them in protest at the military coup in Bangkok. The bloc said developments in Thailand this year, including the adoption of a new constitution and a pledge by junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha to hold elections in November 2018, meant it was "appropriate" to resume ties.
But the European Union repeated its call for the restoration of full democracy and said it was still concerned about harassment of human rights activists and the curtailing of free speech in Thailand. A meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels said they considered it was "appropriate to pursue a gradual political re-engagement with Thailand".