BANGKOK
Thailand’s junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha has guaranteed that a civilian government – with the military as its advisor – will be set up by September, local media reported Saturday.
In his weekly televised address to the nation, Chan-Ocha said Friday that such efforts would attempt to reform the country over the course of a year to be ready for “a real democracy.”
“I ask my Thai brothers and sisters to give us time as we try to fix the country,” he said. “There is a lot that is wrong with the nation so it will require patience from everyone.”
Under the provisions laid out by Chan-ocha, the military will retain control over security matters while also advising on reforms.
The general cited the July 9 presidential election in Indonesia as a positive example of democracy working in the region - despite their having no clear outcome yet.
He said that Indonesians “respected the rules of the game.”
Both candidates in Indonesia’s election have claimed victory, with quick counts by various pollsters showing differing results. The country’s election commission will declare the real count by July 22.
During his Friday address, Chan-Ocha stressed, “The [Thai] public must understand what reconciliation is.”
He also defended the recent reshuffle of key public administration officials citing corruption and nepotism and vowed to tackle the issue of human trafficking and migrant workers. The military had promised to set up registration centers for workers from neighboring countries to attain legal status.
The general also assured he would reform the country’s fishing industry, which had been singled out by a recent U.S. State Department report that ranked it among the worst abusers of forced labor worldwide.
“We will make sure that all fishing vessels register their migrants and their nationality to prevent this abuse,” said Chan-ocha.
In late June, the junta chief had said that elections would be held in October 2015 “under a fully democratic system.”
The Thai military seized power May 22 after seven months of anti-government protests against an administration led by Yingluck Shinawatra.
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