Thai PM Prayuth Chan-ocha insists junta’s plan is working despite election delay
Prime Minister claims new constitution required to address instability
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha hailed the performance of his military government yesterday and said a much-criticised overhaul of the constitution was needed to pull Thailand out of years of political crisis.
In a televised speech to mark six months since a military-appointed legislature chose him as prime minister, Prayuth said his government was sticking to its plans to restore democratic rule and that the generals were not abusing their power.
"All the timeframes that I had set out, I've never deviated from them," said Prayuth, who led a coup last May to oust the remnants of Yingluck Shinawatra's government after six months of occasionally violent protests.
"I don't want to stay in power... I've never received any benefits, only some compliments and much criticism," he said.
Prayuth has come under fire from rights groups and the United Nations for using military courts, threatening opponents and the media, and allowing detentions without charge.
Martial law was replaced this month with Article 44 of the junta's interim constitution, which critics say is more authoritarian.
Prayuth rejected that criticism and said the law was necessary. Foreign governments, he said, understood Thailand's predicament.