US President Barack Obama yesterday called for a return to civilian rule in Thailand, where the military seized power in 2014.
“We continue to encourage a return to civilian rule in Thailand,” Obama told a press conference after meeting with representatives of Southeast Asian nations in California including Thailand.
Thailand’s military has promised to hold new elections after drafting a new constitution, but that process has repeatedly been delayed. Elections are now foreseen in 2017 at the earliest.
Last month a draft constitution was published, but the official in charge of drawing it up said he feared it would not resolve long-running political conflicts as the government said the roadmap for a mid-2017 election would be delayed by a “minimum of two to three months,” according to Reuters.
Meechai Ruchupan, chairman of the junta-appointed Constitution Drafting Committee, said his team had included clauses aimed at reconciliation but it had failed to come up with easy remedies.
“In terms of finding a solution for the current situation, we really could not think it up and have told the prime minister so,” Meechai said.
The government will put the draft to a referendum, expected in July, but opposition to it is simmering across the political spectrum.
Story: AFP/ Reuters
