Thai government to complete good governance in 2015, NCPO not to sustain political seats

BANGKOK, March 6 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has reiterated that his government will move forward to prevent, suppress and create public awareness against corruption in the country, with good governance set to be seen within this year, while key figures of the Thai army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) have insisted that they will not sustain their political seats after the new general election, expected by early next year. Speaking at a seminar on the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) initiative in Bangkok on Friday, jointly organised by several government agencies and cooperated by the British Embassy to Thailand, Prime Minister General Prayut, who has been in office since September 2014, four months after NCPO took administrative power, told participants that his government has cooperated with several public and private agencies, as well as international organisations to create transparency in the country. The prime minister noted that several mechanisms, including CoST, are used with a set target that transparency on both local small–and large-sized projects is to be realised within this year in order to prevent corruption. In building transparency, the prime minister conceded that the government alone cannot solely perform, but it needs to seek cooperation from other parties and mechanisms, including the CoST programme, in order to achieve the goal. British Ambassador in Bangkok Mark Kent then told the seminar that the CoST programme has been launched in Thailand since 2008, backed by the British government and the World Bank. Welcoming Thailand for having joined the CoST programme, Kent said the British Embassy in Bangkok will lay out the system and disclose information to the public. According to the British top envoy, he is pleased to learn that state-run Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) plans to implement the CoST programme in the phase 2-expansion of Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi International Airport to ensure transparency. Meanwhile, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also a deputy NCPO chief, affirmed that NCPO, headed by Prime Minister General Prayut himself, has no wish to prolong their political roles after Thailand's new general election, expected by early next year. General Prawit pointed out that a proposal by a Thai academic, Jate Dhonavanik, who is also a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), for members of the so-called "five core bodies" including NCPO, the Cabinet, the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the National Reform Council (NRC) and CDC to stay away from politics for two years after the new general election is sensible. Asked whether he is worried over talks that the new Thai Consititution being drafted is not democratic, General Prawit said the draft is still incomplete and upon completion it will have to be sent to NCPO and the Cabinet for final consideration. Deputy Defence Minister and Army Chief General Udomdej Sitabutr, who is NCPO Secretary-General, shared similar views with the deputy prime minister and defence minister. (TNA)