NCPO to advise interim government

BANGKOK, July 12 (TNA) - The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), formed in the wake of the May 22 military takeover, would continue to function and offer advice to the interim government which will be established soon, said NCPO head and army chief Genearl Prayuth Chan-ocha. Speaking during his weekly TV address on Friday night, General Prayuth said the interim government will be empowered to administer the country while the NCPO will be “responsible for and give advice” to it. He said the authority of NCPO and that of the government would have equitable check-and-balance mechanisms, with the government having more prominence on national administration. The NCPO would have more say in national security affairs. Cooperation between the two bodies would be based on consultations, joint meetings, exchanges of information and other forms of meetings when needed, he said. As for the Provisional Constitution, General Prayuth said it would have not more than 50 Articles. General Prayuth said the Provisional Constitution would stipulate that a government to be established in September 2014 would perform its duties expediently and effectively in order to rectify many problems so that it may yield results corresponding to the hopes of the Thai people. "There may be some limitations in the provisional constitution. But only because if national administration is carried out in a normal framework, many problems will remain unresolved and this would not be beneficial to anyone. The NCPO should be given time, opportunity and tools to function," he said. On the national reform council, General Prayuth said he wanted to see that every sector prepares for sending representatives to apply as members of the Reform Council. "We would like all sectors to arrange for representatives to apply for membership to the Reform Council selection process in Phase 2. In this process, we have classified 11 groups, totaling about 550 persons. Then 5 applicants from each of the 76 provinces will be selected. These additional 380 persons will be cut down to 76 persons (quota of 1 person per province), and then added to the 550 to make 630 persons. This amount will be pared down to 250 persons in order to be divided into 11 groups." Expressing his worry over reconciliation among people in the country, one of the chief reasons for NCPO in staging the coup, General Prayuth said it is impossible to reform in an absence of reconciliation. "All parties must find common ground in order to find a way out of conflict in the immediate and long term. We need to determine the cause of conflict and means to to resolve it. If no one agrees, it is not possible to move forward," he said. He added that one must accept differences, whether they are personal preferences or opposing viewpoints. (TNA)