In a separate speech, he assured Thai and foreign investors that the government would adhere to its road map for the next general election to be held next year.
The prime minister tried to assure foreign investors about the country’s stability and said that in the near future Thailand will have a new king and the government will continue performing its duties in all areas.
In response to media questions as to whether the NLA would convene a special meeting to discuss “some special agenda”, Prayut confirmed that this meeting would be held after the Cabinet’s session.
“Everything follows the procedure, and every important step has remained unchanged,” he told reporters.
After the Cabinet meeting, he said, the “matter” would then be forwarded to the NLA. He did not elaborate.
Prayut also addressed investors in a separate speech at a luncheon organised by the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand. He said the government was committed to its road map towards a general election within 2017 and said they should have no concerns about the matter.
He said the government would do what it can to steer the country towards a full democracy, adding that he has never ignored democracy.
The rest of the time will be used to lay a foundation for a 20-year strategic plan for the country which he said will be accomplished regardless of who is in power.
The PM also said that the government was ready to eliminate obstacles and standardise rules to support investment from other countries.
“At this point there should not be any question about the road map. The road map is the road map and the government is ready to steer the country for the rest of its time in power,” he said. “We will still follow the road map.”
In an interview in Parliament, NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai confirmed that the government had suggested that the assembly convene the special meeting. He explained that meetings held outside the normal schedule are “special”. Normal NLA meetings are usually held on Thursdays and Fridays.
However, the NLA president said, the government has at this point only called on the assembly to convene this meeting, without informing them what the |meeting was about. The meeting could be about legislation promulgation, conventions or any other urgent issues, he said, adding that the NLA has not addressed any agenda specific to the schedule.
“Once I know what the matter is about, I will immediately issue a formal meeting agenda,” Pornpetch said.

THOUSANDS of people demonstrated at Myanmar embassies across the world yesterday demanding that Aung San Suu Kyi’s government stops the “ethnic cleansing” of Muslim Rohingya in western Rakhine State.
Human rights groups protested in front of Myanmar embassies in 16 countries around the world yesterday, including Bangkok and Islamic countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, calling for the government in Nay Pyi Taw to stop suppressing the Rohingya.
Around 5,000 Bangladeshi Muslims demonstrated in the capital Dhaka after Friday prayers, according to AFP.
Malaysia’s Muslim-majority Cabinet also issued a statement condemning the violence, an unusually strong criticism against a fellow member of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
“Malaysia calls on all parties involved in the recent violence to refrain from taking any actions which would aggravate the situation further, and Malaysia also calls on the government of Myanmar to address the alleged ethnic cleansing in the northern Rakhine State,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Malaysia said the Myanmar ambassador would be summoned over the crisis and that Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman would meet with de facto leader Suu Kyi and other top Myanmar officials “at the earliest possible date”.
Thousands of the Muslim Rohingya have fled the conflict and crackdown in Myanmar to seek shelter in Bangladesh over the past few days.
Hundreds of human rights defenders in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia simultaneously staged the protests at 2pm (Bangkok time) as a gesture of “political pressure” in a bid to urge Myanmar and the Asean community to seriously tackle the issue.
“We think no concrete result would occur after this movement. However, we want to raise the public awareness and call for the Asean and global communities to develop mechanisms to mutually resolve this matter,” said Zakee Phithakkunpul, a member of Council for Humanitarian Networking (CHN) of Sheikhul Islam Office, the Bangkok-based non-government organisation that organised the assembly.
The campaign called “World Day of Rage – Stop Killing Rohingya” was joined by 150 people in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok yesterday.
Indonesian Muslims also held a rally outside the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta against the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.
In Bangkok, Zakee called on the Suu Kyi government to take action against ongoing abusive military movements against Rohingyas.
“The Muslim-minority state should respect people, without race and religion discrimination, which is the essence of democracy to which Myanmar aims to move forward,” he stressed.
He said that CHN would file the same petition to the United Nations local office and other international organisations.
The rally was ignited by the escalated tension in Rakhine following a coordinated attack on three border posts on October 9 which killed nine police, according to Siwawong Sooktawee, a coordinator of Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons.
“The state military has flocked to areas along Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh and seems to rampage, causing innocent residents to be in a dilemma,” he said.
The violence has reportedly displaced thousands this week with at least 86 people killed. Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, which has tried to send the Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar.
Siwawong said: “If the government does not control the refugees and carelessly lets them flee, the problem will be forwarded to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, that they will flee to by boats. This issue needs to be solved by mechanism of the Asean.”
Maung Kyaw Nu, head of Thailand’s Rohingya Association, who also joined the rally, said he hoped the international community would look into this problem and protect the minority Rohingya.
“We cannot rely on our government to protect us. We need the world’s help to protect us,” he said.
Maung had to be pushed off the stage by the event’s organisers during the rally because of his “unpeaceful” manner when he shouted “Stop the genocide immediately!” before the crowd.
“I can’t control my emotions because I miss my home and my relatives there [in Myanmar],” he said later.

He said the plan to hold the next general election in 2017 remained intact, but he did not rule out factors that could lead to a delay.
“The situation changes by day and by month. If we can hold an election, we will. If an election cannot be held, why should we insist on holding one and then cause damage?” Prawit said.
Prawit, the deputy chief of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said he did not presently see any factors that could result in changes to the “road map for a return to democracy”.
His remark came after speculation that the election, which is expected to take place late next year or early in 2018, will be put off following King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s passing.
Prawit said the government had not announced any changes to its road map, adding that the media was stirring up the issue.
Meanwhile, Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) chairman Meechai Ruchupan said yesterday that the writing of the 10 organic laws in line with the charter was advancing in line with the schedule set by the road map. But the election date would be determined by the Election Commission, he added.
He also said the organic law on political parties would result in substantial changes in the operation of parties, which would have to adapt accordingly. The election could not take place until parties had adopted the new rules, he said.
The CDC had initially given political parties 150 days to reorganise their membership systems, Meechai said, adding that if they fail to do so, the deadline could be extended by up to three years. However, parties would not be able to field candidates for the next election until the membership system changes are completed, he said.
“The law will lay out everything political parties must do and when to do it in order to adapt to the changes. However, the CDC will also soon listen to opinions from politicians to see whether the time given is sufficient or not, as well as how to adjust it,” the chief charter writer said.
In a related development, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was not worried about the road map because he saw that the government was still adhering to the plan.
However, he called on the NCPO to relax the post-coup ban on the assembly of political parties.
He said political parties also needed to work on policies that would help people, adding that |he could accept it if the junta still limits activities such as political speeches that could lead to |demonstrations.

A FORMER Revenue Department chief will face an indictment for alleged irregularities in connection with a Bt4.3-billion value-added tax (VAT) refund scam while associated assets worth over Bt700 million may be confiscated by the state.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) concluded that Satit Rungkasiri was “unusually wealthy” while serving as the Revenue Department director-general during 2011-2013, according to NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljieak.
The agency also found that assets belonging to Satit, his spouse, children, a firm called Siri-karnjana Co and one unnamed person worth more than Bt700 million were ill-gotten in connection with the alleged tax-refund scam.
The NACC requested that the Attorney-General’s Office sue him in the Criminal Court for alleged corruption and misconduct so the unreported assets could be seized. According to the NACC subcommittee headed by Supa Piyachitti, the list of ill-gotten assets included bank accounts, plots of land, gold and vehicles.
Prominent examples included the purchase of gold bars worth Bt607 million under Satit’s name, of which Bt179 million worth had already been confiscated. Authorities only know about the remainder due to purchase receipts.
In addition, bank deposits worth Bt3.5 million and securities investments worth Bt435,100 under his spouse’s name, as well as bank deposits worth Bt5.7 million under his children’s names.
Other assets in his children’s names included investments in companies, stock-trading accounts and five land plots owned by his children in Nong Khai, Samut Prakarn and Nakorn Ratchasima worth a total of Bt22.5 million.

Decision made in October
Sansern said the agency resolved in late October to indict the former Revenue Department chief.
In August 2013, the Cabinet issued an order to remove Satit as the Revenue Department director-general due to alleged irregularities in refunding a massive amount of value-added taxes in a case involving exported scrap metal.
Satit was demoted to inspector general of the Finance Ministry.
In January this year, the Finance Ministry dismissed Satit, who was then serving as an inspector general, in connection with the corruption scandal.
Earlier, an investigation by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) uncovered alleged fraudulent tax refunds worth Bt4.3 billion that involved 38 entrepreneurs – Bt3.2 billion in Bangkok and Bt1.1 billion in Samut Prakan province.
The alleged scam led to one of the biggest corruption discoveries in the history of the Revenue Department, in which other top-level officials were involved. The scam reportedly involved irregularities in claiming tax refunds related to exporting scrap metal. Many fake companies were set up with addresses in unlikely business locations to get tax refunds using fake invoices, it was alleged.
The NACC alleged that Satit bought gold bars with the ill-gotten money he received from private companies involved in fraudulent tax refunds, according to a source.
His ownership of the gold bars was not mentioned in his financial report filed with the NACC, the source said.
Following more inquiries, the anti-graft agency recommended that the Office of Attorney-General proceed with the confiscation of Satit and his spouse’s assets as it was alleged they were acquired illegally.

‘Unusual wealth’ 

Purchase order of gold bullion worth Bt607 million
Bank deposit in his spouse’s name worth Bt3.75 million
Stocks in his spouse’s name worth Bt435,100
Bank deposits in his son’s name worth Bt5.7 million
Investment in six companies in his son’s name worth Bt15.73 million
Cash account for stock trading in his son’s name worth Bt7.67 million
Five plots of land located in Samut Prakan and Nakhon Ratchasima worth Bt22.55 million
Lexus car worth Bt1 million
Plot of land in Nakhon Ratchasima worth Bt46 million
Bank deposit in another person’s name worth Bt5.03 million