29th Prime Minister of Thailand

By royal command on 24 August 2014, countersigned by President of the National Legislative Assembly Pornpetch Wichitcholachai, General Prayut was appointed the 29th Prime Minister of Thailand. He received the royal command in a ceremony, held on 25 August 2014 at the Army Headquarters in Bangkok.

After the ceremony, the new Prime Minister expressed his humble gratitude to His Majesty the King for his endorsement to appoint him as Prime Minister. He stated that he was well-aware of this great and important mission to lead the country and the people in moving forward. The next step is to appoint members of the Cabinet, the names of which will be submitted to His Majesty the King for endorsement in September.

General Prayut said that the government and NCPO would work closely together, but a system of checks and balances would be introduced to ensure transparency. He stressed the need to strengthen all existing systems in order to fight corruption. Civil servants, military, police, central and regional administrations, and local administrations must improve themselves in all dimensions to cope with the national reform that will take place. The political sector must have good governance to lead the country to a better future.

However, he cited the people as the most important element to enable the national administration to achieve the targets of solving various problems. There are many economic issues that need to be rectified as soon as possible, in preparation for the arrival of the ASEAN Community in 2015.

General Prayut also cited economic difficulties as the most important problem that must be tackled urgently, and efforts must also be made to prevent long-term impacts. Moreover, the new government will promote investment, reduce disparities, and generate more income for farmers and low-income earners. Other urgent problems involve tax structure, energy, and infrastructure.

Concerning security, he said, many problems still remain and must be resolved, such as border issues, demarcation, smuggling, drugs, crime, war weapons, gambling, and illegal foreign labor.

He said that the education system would be improved, and Thai culture preservation and natural resource protection would be heightened. The core values of the country would be emphasized to help ease problems on a sustainable basis. Outdated laws would also be amended in line with international law.

General Prayut added that he would give top priority to national interests and to bringing peace and happiness to the people.