“Commentators did not base their view on any knowledge of the project,” Porter wrote.
“There was no focus on whether such a project was needed. Instead, erroneous figures were used to attack the idea, and it was implied that I personally would be paid an enormous fee for just a short visit,” he wrote.
“I concluded regretfully that the political climate in Thailand at the moment is too partisan to have a productive and constructive discussion about competitiveness,” Porter wrote.
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—The Associated Press contributed to the reporting of this story.
—Staff writer David H. Gellis can be reached at gellis@fas.harvard.edu.