The people must get the country back on track, says Prayut
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Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said he risked his life by staging the coup on May 22 last year to rescue the country from crisis, but it is up to the people to play a key role in getting the country back on track.
The government will focus on the security and stability of the country and preparing the country for a general election, he said.
Prayut admitted that it was impossible to get everyone agree with all the issues but people with different opinions need to learn to tolerate and live peacefully together. People are allowed to stage protests but it must be done peacefully, in contrast to the mass protests in 2010 and between 2013-2014.
He singled out the red-shirt protest in 2010 as a violent event that cost the lives of civilians and military officers. Some of the officers were directly under his command when he was deputy army chief, he said, and it must not be repeated.
Looking ahead, he said the country needs stability, as it would provide a platform for economic growth; however, some people still don’t understand what he tried to do or why he staged a coup.
He said part of the reason why he invited foreign experts and academics to Thailand was because he wanted to create mutual understanding about what had happened to the country and why the army had to step in.
