A royal decree appointing the 250 members of the National Reform Council (NRC) has been published in the Royal Gazette - its members deemed to be resourceful persons in various fields as required by the 2014 interim constitution.
The interim constitution provides for the establishment of the National Legislative Assembly to exercise legislative power, a provisional cabinet to take charge of public administration, the NRC to execute extensive national reforms and approve a draft new constitution, and a committee to draft the new constitution.
The NLA, the cabinet and the NRC have now been set up. What remains is to form a constitution drafting committee.
The 250 NRC comprises one person selected from each of the 77 provinces and 173 selected from 11 fields. They will plan and draft the country's reform process.
The 11 fields are: law and justice; local administration; national administration; politics; education; the economy; energy; public health and the environment; the mass media; social affairs; and a special category to deal with “other issues”.
Well-known members of the NRC include Kachadpai Burussapattana, a former National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general; Khamnoon Sithisaman, a former senator; Chirmsak Pinthong, an academic; Chai Chidchob, a former speaker of the House of Representatives; Damrong Pidech, former director-general of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department; along with Wanchai Sonsiri, Rossana Tositrakul, a former senator, Gen Yutthasak Sasiprapa, a former defence minister in the Yingluck Shinawatra government, Paiboon Nititawan, a former senator, and Bovornsak Uwanno, secretary-general of the King Prajadhipok's Institute.
Naowarat Pongpaiboon, a national artist; Chai-anan Samudavanija, a well-known political scientist; and Adm Pachun Tamprateep, a former chief of the Office of Statesman Prem Tinsulanonda; and Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, former rector of the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) are also on the NRC list.
NRC members in the field of mass media include Boonlert Kachayuthadej, Manij Suksomjit and Pradit Ruangdit, president of the Thai Journalists Association and senior reporter of the Bangkok Post newspaper.
Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp, who was a member of a committee to select NRC members in the field of education, said it is good that the NRC brings together 250 people who are experts in various fields to bring about national reforms.
He said the constitution drafting committee (CDC) yet to be set up will comprise 36 members - comprising a chair of the committee as nominated by the NCPO, 20 members nominated by the NRC, and five each by the NLA, cabinet and NCPO.
The new NRC members are required to report to the Office of the House Secretariat between Oct 8-15 between 8.30am-4pm.