Parliament elections within year, say Thai military rulers

Bangkok, Sep 20 (UNI) Thailand will elect a popular government within a year after the installation of a civilian government early next month, said the country's new rulers who seized power last night.

The Democratic Reform Council (DRC) will remain in control for a fortnight until a prime minister is appointed at the head of an interim civil administration, General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin who heads the Council told reporters today.

Elections to a new government would be held within a year after a new Thai constitution is debated and formulated.

The Council Chief denied media speculation about a likely seizure of the assets of ousted caretaker Premier Thaksin Shinawtra, currently abroad. There were also no plans to annul the sale of Mr Thaksin's family telecom business early this year to a Singapore state company, he said.

The early January sale of shares of Shin Corp founded by Mr Thaksin, a former telecom tycoon and once Thailand's richest person, to Singapore's Temasak for a tax- free 1.9 billion US dollars triggered street protests in Bangkok leading to the 2 April snap poll.

Thailand's main political opposition parties boycotted that election accusing Mr Thaksin of using his overwhelming parliamentary majority to undermine administrative checks and balances over the preceding years.

Mr Thaksin is the first to head a single party majority government in Thailand having won three successive general elections since January 2001.

UNI XC SI VA KP1654