CRI听力:Thailand's Coup, One Year On

Thailand's Junta leader-turned-prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says he is satisfied with his government's performance in the past year, especially on security issues, but more needs to be done to shore up the economy.

He was speaking on Friday on his weekly televised talk show, marking the one-year anniversary since the military coup in Thailand.

Thailand was one of the Tiger economies in Asia in the late 90's but a decade of political turmoil has seen its economy loose much of its steam.

The Prime Minister says he wants to put that right. He also insists that he is not proud of having taken the reins of power through drastic military intervention

"I want to thank the people. It is not my performance and I'm not proud at all to take this position as coup-maker and prime minister. I thank the people who understand the country's situation. They should consider what they should do next. How the country can move forward. The most important thing nowadays is to maintain peace and order, move the country forward, solve urgent problems."

Earlier this week, the Thai government agreed to hold a public referendum on a newly drafted constitution that could pave the way for setting up a civil administration.

But critics say that this is merely a ploy to delay general elections.

Activists and opposition politicians say the military government has turned a blind eye on political reforms and let the economy flounder.

During the coup last year, key political figures and several outspoken academics and journalists were detained.

Former Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang was one of those arrested. He was later released but with tough conditions that limit his freedom.

Chaturon says the new draft constitution could divide the nation even further

"One year after the coup, it doesn't seem that there has been any attempt to resolve the conflict of the country. Meaning there has been no attempt to address the reconciliation process at all. So there has never been any discussion by the people in charge on what are the roots of the problem."

Thailand has seen numerous protests, street violence, bloody crackdowns and two military coups in the past decade. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was deposed in a coup in 2006 after being accused of corruption and disrespecting the country's monarchy.

The military stepped in again last year, to oust Thaksins's sister Yingluck Shinawatra from office after more violent street protests by those who saw her as a proxy for her billionaire brother.

Yingluck is currently standing trial for her part in a rice-subsidy scandal and may face up to 10 years in jail if convicted. Her supporters claim she is being framed. They accuse the military regime for plotting to keep the powerful and popular Shinawatra family out of Thai politics.

A year since its latest coup, Thailand remains deeply divided between different political factions making reconciliation difficult.

For CRI I'm Poornima Weerasekara.