Thailand's caretaker PM proposes national reform council

BANGKOK, December 25 (TNA) - Thailand's Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has proposed her government-sponsored National Reform Council to solve domestic political problems. In her announcement broadcast live nationwide on Wednesday morning, Yingluck assured that the proposed 499-member National Reform Council will not be the government's forum, but it will be genuinely a people's council. Yingluck explained that 2,000 representatives of Thai people from all walks of life will be selected and, from them, the 499 members will be shortlisted. According to the caretaker prime minister, if all parties agree, her caretaker government will coordinate the establishment of the council. The caretaker prime minister elaborated that the 11-member selection committee will comprise Royal Thai Armed Forces chiefs, heads of government offices, the secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), government-run university presidents, the chairpersons of the Board of Trade of Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and the Thai Bankers' Association and two experts. The caretaker prime minister said that her caretaker government-proposed National Reform Council will study and work out a constitutional amendment draft, propose a national economic and social reform plan in which the public are allowed to take part in the administration of the public sector, work out rules to ensure honest and fair elections and appointments of important positions, propose measures for corruption crackdowns and recommend law improvements on power decentralization to strengthen the Thai society. The caretaker premier noted that the government-coordinated National Reform Council will then submit its proposals to the prime minister and publicize its work to be later implemented. (TNA)