Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha believes there will be no more military coups and says he will definitely not take the prime minister's post as an outsider, no matter what the circumstances.
Gen Prayut was speaking during a lunch with reporters at Government House on Wednesday. Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Surasak Karnjanarat, and PM's secretary-general Wilas Aroonsri.
Asked if he was worried that people would become bored with him if he stayed in power for another 20 months, as seems likely, the prime minister jokingly replied: "I am already bored with myself, it's not just the people."
"Problems these days are complicated. I am ready to hand over my job to another person."
Asked what if the old-face politicians return, Gen Prayut said it would be the people's decision at the elections.
Asked whether the military would again take power in the future, he said: "No. Not again."
"The situation has changed. The country is now surrounded by the world. Who would dare to do that? We must try not to let that happen again," he said.
"Even if that happened, I would not get involved. I would rather go home."
Gen Prayut told the reporters they needed not fear an outsider would move in and take the prime minister's post. "I, for one, will definitely not take it."
If he was asked by the people to take the job, Gen Prayut said he knows what he can do and to what extent.
Asked whether the 20 months set down under Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam's 6-4-6-4 formula could be shortened, Gen Prayut said this would depend on all the people concerned, especially those with legal expertise.
He said he had not issued a directive that the 20-month timeframe be shortened. He had only suggested that it should be shorter, if possible.
If the 20-month timeframe was adhered to, there would be a general election in July 2017, he said.
