Gen Prayut: Up to People to Decide If He Should Stay on

BANGKOK, June 5 (TNA) - After administering Thailand since last September and the draft charter needs revision, Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha said Friday it is up to the people whether they need a public referendum on wanting him to continue administering the country. Gen. Prayut, also leader of the National Council for Peace and Order which seized power from an elected government in May 2014, said a proposal by the National Reform Council (NRC) on Thursday urging him to stay in power for another two years and his reply to NRC members did not mean that he wanted to cling to power. The Election Commission must say whether it is possible to organise such a public referendum but it is rather difficult to object the people’s wish, he said. Everything must follow what it is specified in the interim constitution. If people want him to continue administering the country, explanations must be given to overseas as many politicians and certain groups of people understand that he does “not want to stay in power”, he added. Urging the media not to give too much importance to Thai politics in the past, Gen. Prayut stressed that things must run in accordance with legal procedures and the country needs to move forward while a reconciliation among people must be built. Whether the country could move forward depends on the “supervisor” and on how works could be accomplished and the people who would elect a new government following a general election in future, Gen. Prayut said. He added that he would “perform the duty with full efforts within the time left and to also solve every problem urgently”. (TNA)