Prayut insists not seeking to extend term

Prayut said he would like to thank those who have proposed that he should stay in power to finish the national reforms. 

“I have not accepted their request. But respect is two-way streets. As a leader, I couldn’t just turn them down. All I could do was to thank them,” Prayut said.

“If it’s possible, maybe the people have to do it [voting in the referendum]. That’s what I said. It doesn’t mean that I was accepting the request or being content about it.”

He said those who want him to stay on in power must find a way.

“But if they want me to do this, they’ll have to come up with a way to make it acceptable for the people from the outside world. But saying that I want to stay is just not right. No,” Prayut said.

When asked if he should stay longer when taking into account the current situation, he replied:

"I don't think about it that way. I only focus on doing the best I can in the remaining time. I'll try to solve all the problem as soon as possible. But I probably can't solve all of them. People's expectation of me is high. They expect I'll solve every problem. But do you see how complicated this is? I have to rebuild the system. It will take time. This doesn't mean that I'm monopolising the position. I'm just the initiator. I wrote the plans and made the law. Now, it's about who's going to complete it and it is for the people and the country."

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