Most Thais approve of junta's performance: Survey

Bangkok, June 23: The

junta has managed to obtain a high degree of approval from the people for its performance after taking over national administration on May 22, an opinion survey released on Sunday showed.

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) received an approval rate of 8.82 out of 10 for its one-month performance, according to the survey conducted by the Suan Dusit Poll between June 17 and 21, reports Xinhua.

Among a total of 1,614 respondents nationwide, 72.79 percent said the country had become peaceful and free of conflicts since the NCPO seized power.

A majority said the NCPO had managed to solve several key issues such as completing overdue payments to farmers who had joined the former government's rice-pledging scheme and reducing the cost of living.

Around 65 percent of the respondents wished the NCPO remain in power until everything in the country falls into place, according to the survey results.

About half of the respondents said they were highly satisfied with the NCPO's work, while 4.32 percent said they were not satisfied at all because their rights and freedom had been restricted since the power seizure.

In addition, another survey released on Sunday by the National Institute of Development Administration showed that 41.3 percent of 1,259 respondents across Thailand proposed NCPO chief Prayuth Chan-ocha assume the post of an expected interim prime minister.

Former prime minister Anand Panyarachun and former ASEAN secretary general Surin Pitsuwan were also high on the list of nominated PM candidates in the survey conducted on June 20 and 21.

However, about 26 percent gave no answer as to who should become the interim prime minister while 10 percent said nobody seemed suitable for the post.

IANS