Phnom Penh – The U.S. State Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Patrick Murphy, on Friday called on the countries in the Indo-Pacific region to follow “free, open and rules-based” principles.
In a telephone press briefing to wrap up his trip to Thailand, Indonesia, and Hawaii last week, Murphy said democratic governance was a key discussion topic, particularly due to this past Sunday’s elections in Thailand, in addition to security and economic relations.
“This particular set of trips was a chance to address the importance of democratic governance as well, and a number of countries are going through, or preparing for, important national elections, including Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, which will have local elections, and even Australia anticipates elections later this year,” he said.
