PM assures of 2017 polls at UN meet
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha underlined Thailand’s commitment to holding a general election as planned late next year during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
He told the assembly this year has been an important year for Thais and the direction in which the country is headed with the Aug 7 charter referendum now over.
“This referendum has reflected the genuine intention of the government to promote democratic processes, while taking into account the views expressed by the international community,” Gen Prayut said.
The tasks to be fulfilled in the roadmap are being implemented, including the consideration of the constitution and the general elections scheduled for late next year, he added.
The government is pushing ahead with efforts to bring about order and security and to pave the way toward sustained political governance.
Gen Prayut added that once the situation in the country returns to normal and security is fully restored, the government will put an end to temporary security measures that have been imposed since the regime took over.
The order i mposing military j urisdiction over civilians is one measure which was recently abandoned.
He also explained the government was taking steps to address deeply-rooted problems of security, corruption, human trafficking and crime.
“We believe addressing such problems at the roots can serve as a strong foundation for a sustainable democracy and good governance,” the premier told the assembly.
On the issues of the environment and climate change, Gen Prayut said Thailand will ratify the Paris Agreement and called on more countries to be signatories to the agreement as global warming and climate change need to tackled with cooperation from the world community.
Gen Prayut also said the government supports UN peacekeeping and peace-building operations. The efforts are consistent with achieving peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, he said.
In addition, Thailand has supported implementation of Goal 17, which aims to strengthen international cooperation and global partnership.
“We believe that there is no one-size-fits-all model in achieving sustainable development since each country has its own specific needs and limitations,” the prime minister told the gathering. “Therefore, we need to adapt relevant development models in the context of each state through sharing experiences, with a view to galvanising such diversity into a harmonised unity,” he added.
Gen Prayut said this year marks the 70th anniversary of Thailand’s membership of the UN. He added it is also the first year that various international frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Agreement, have been implemented.