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The priority of Thailand's military- run National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) is to ensure national administration functions as normal and key policies can be implemented, a foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday.
The NCPO asks for understanding and patience from the international community in allowing time for effective administration and social harmony to be restored in Thailand, said Sek Wannamethee, spokesman of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
He made the remarks during a press briefing held in Bangkok for foreign press, the first of its kind since the May 22 military coup.
"To promote social stability, projects related to the livelihood and well-being of the people are also given special priority. The disbursement of next year fiscal budget due to start on Oct. 1, 2014 will be expedited," Sek said.
The NCPO has pledged to formulate practical and responsible economic policies to promote economic growth in a sustainable manner.
Regarding international diplomatic relations, Sek told reporters that "The council have reaffirmed that all diplomatic relations between Thailand and foreign nations remain unchanged from that stated under the previous government."
"All ongoing negations will also be carried out as planned. Thailand's commitments under various international obligations will be respected. Thailand intends to continue proactive foreign policy, especially in ASEAN, the United Nations, and other multilateral forums."
Concerning the issue of holding an election, the spokesman said it is the council's intention to create the right condition for the national reconciliation and push forward the reform process in order to put Thailand on a path towards free and fair elections and restore democracy once again.
On the freedom of media, Sek said residents of Thailand still enjoy full access to social media outlets such as Line and Facebook. "It is not the policy of the NCPO to close down any social media. But however, specific sites which instigate hatreds or disseminate fault information have been asked for cooperation in refraining from further incitement."
The spokesman said the martial law and curfew imposed in the wake of the coup are intended to restore law and order, and prevent further untoward incidents.
"Nearly 30 lives have been lost and more than 700 people injured. Public and private properties have been destroyed; government buildings were taken over."
"Losses of income from tourism compounded by fiscal vacuum put strains on Thailand GDP which became negative for the first time in many years in the second quarter of 2014. Normal daily life was disrupted by rallies and demonstrations while government agencies were unable to perform their duties effectively."
Given the situation, the military was compelled to take control of the national administration in order to provide a cooling off period for all sides and to prevent further deterioration of the situation, he said. "The NCPO implementation of the martial law is intended to prevent further violence, restore stability, and put the country back on track to a full democracy."
Sek also added so far, only two out of 16 provisions from the martial law act have been applied to restore peace and order.
"No more innocent lives have been lost and normal life has resumed for the general public just in time for the start of the new school year for most pupils," Sek said.
