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An interim government is to be set up in Thailand by August, according to the head of the military which seized power last month.
General Prayuth Chan-ocha, in an address to senior military officials, announced the date as part of a three-phase plan of reconciliation, formation of a government and elections to be rolled out by the ruling National Council for Peace and Order.
“A government will be set up by August, or at the very latest September,” he told a meeting devoted to the 2015 national budget.
The army took power on May 22 in a bloodless coup after six months of sometimes violent street protests pitting mainly rural supporters of ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra against her Bangkok-based, royalist opponents.
A curfew imposed at the time has now been lifted in 22 of the country’s 77 provinces. The exceptions include Bangkok and Chiang Mai, although the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) insists that life continues as normal and all tourism-related businesses and services are operating.
“Tourists can continue to enjoy the fine-dining and nightlife, provided that they observe the curfew time from midnight to 4am,” TAT said.
Prayuth repeated in his address that a temporary constitution would be drafted within three months. It would take at least a year until a new general election could take place.
“In the next three months we must do everything properly, whether it is the constitution or other matters. Everything for the first phase should be complete by August,” Reuters reported Prayuth as saying today.
Military leader Prayuth says he stepped in to restore order and has made the economy and the welfare of farmers a priority.