BANGKOK, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday unanimously passed legislation on a 20-year national strategy and a bill on national reform.
The NLA approved the national strategy bill, for which a National Strategy Commission is to be set up and chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Those, who will sit on the National Strategy Commission, include the army chief, navy chief, air force chief, police chief, the Defense Ministry undersecretary, the Armed Forces supreme commander, the National Economic and Social Development Board secretary general, the National Security Council secretary general, the Thai Chamber of Commerce chairman, the Federation of Thai Industries chairman, the Tourism Council of Thailand chairman and the Thai Bankers Association chairman.
Future governments will be legally obliged to follow the national strategy in the next 20 years, according to the bill drafted by the ruling National Council for Peace and Order.
On the same day, the NLA also passed the reform bill.
The new law prescribes the appointment of national reform committees in politics, public administration, laws, justice procedures, education, economy, natural resources and environment, public health, mass media and IT, social issues and another area to be determined by the cabinet. Each panel will have no more than 13 members serving a five-year term.
Each committee must complete drafting the reform plan within 90 days to be vetted by a joint meeting of all committees and send their plan to the National Strategy Commission to decide whether it is in line with the national strategy within 30 days.
