Thai army chief promises to return power to voters asap

BANGKOK, May 23 (TNA) - Thai Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who leads a military coup in the Kingdom, has promised that he will return the power to Thai civilians as soon as possible. General Prayuth, in his capacity as chief of the National Peace and Order Maintaining Council (NPOMC), which has seized the administrative power from the caretaker government since Thursday afternoon, made the pledge during his meeting with heads of government and private agencies, as well as state enterprises at the Thai Army Club in Bangkok's Vibhavadi Rangsit Road on Friday. During his meeting with Royal Thai Armed Forces leaders earlier in the day, held at the First Infantry Regiment in the capital to follow up the updated situation, General Prayuth said he decided on the military takeover for the sake of public and national interests, after conflicting parties failed to reach an agreed solution to the persistent domestic political strife. The world community, including the United Nations, the United States, the European Union (EU) and other allied economies, has expressed concerns over the military intervention in Thailand and called for a quick return to the democratic rule in the Kingdom. According to official statistics, released by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, at least 28 people were killed and more than 800 others were injured during the domestic political unrest over the past six months. (TNA)