Suspended Thai PM Prayuth says to continue as defence minister

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Suspended Thai chief Prayuth Chan-ocha mentioned on social media he’ll proceed in his position as defence minister, in his first direct deal with to the general public since a courtroom ordered him to stop his duties as prime minister whereas it evaluations his time period restrict.

“I’ll proceed to do my responsibility and duty as defence minister for the folks and Thailand day by day,” Prayuth mentioned on the Twitter account of the prime minister’s workplace late on Thursday.

The Constitutional Courtroom on Wednesday determined to listen to a petition introduced by the primary opposition celebration arguing that Prayuth’s years spent because the chief of a army junta after he took energy in a 2014 coup, ought to rely towards his total time in workplace. The structure stipulates a time period restrict of eight years for the prime minister.

It stays unclear when the courtroom will ship a choice on the evaluation.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan is serving as performing premier of Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economic system. He declined to reply journalists’ questions on his first day within the prime minister’s workplace on Friday.

The controversy over Prayuth’s time period restrict is the newest eposide in almost twenty years of intermittent political turmoil, together with two coups and violent protests, stemming from opposition to army involvement in politics and calls for for better illustration as political consciousness grows.

A authorities spokesperson, Anucha Burapachaisri, mentioned on Friday the cupboard continues to operate as regular.

(This story was refiled to make clear Prayuth assertion posted on authorities Twitter account in paragraph 2.)

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Modifying by Richard Pullin)