Thai Junta's Prayuth Says Reforms Must Come Before Democracy
- Junta leader says new election won't be held until mid-2017
- Prayuth lashes out at those seeking to 'defame' government
Prayuth Chan-Ocha.
Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Thailand’s junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha used his year-end speech to remind his countrymen that he seized power in order to reform the nation and that a return to democracy will have to wait until that’s accomplished and won’t come before 2017.
“Everybody wants to ask for a return to normal, to democracy with full freedom," Prayuth said in a nationwide television address Wednesday. "I want to ask whether this is possible. If we want to create change from the past, it’s not. We have tried for 83 years with many coups. Now I want the real reform to take place. This is for our children’s future.”