He said the Supreme Strategic Committee for Reform and Reconciliation, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, would convene later this week.

Prime Minister Prayut revealed the new structure, which he wrote, last week. It is the first time that reform, reconciliation and national strategy development work will be placed under the same directive of this new ‘supreme’ body. New committees will help oversee and implement each area of work.

Wissanu said there were plans for the work, especially reconciliation, to take place at the start of this year as the government had expected the charter to have been promulgated last November and it would have had one year to work on it.

He could not say whether the committees would finish the work before the government finished its term, but if they did not, the work would be forwarded to the new government.

Wissanu said all committee members would be appointed this month. Under the lead of the supreme body, the national reform preparation committee will take over the work of the National Reform Steering Assembly when it dissolves four months after the charter is activated.

National strategy work handled by concerned bodies will then be handed over to the 20-year national strategy preparation committee, and reconciliation work handled by the military, plus other bodies will be transferred to the reconciliation committee.

“We should at least make it start to happen while we are still in the office, but it is unlikely it will all be completed before the election,” Wissanu said.

He declined to comment on whether people on opposing sides will be brought to work together on reconciliation. But people were unlikely to be brought in if it was thought they might clash with the committee, he suggested.