40. Nevertheless, our key problem recently has been political conflict and unprecedented divisiveness in the country. This has stemmed from a political setting that has produced democracy only in form but not in function, thus resulting in national administration that lacked good governance. The public budget was used for political gain. There was ineffective populism and rampant corruption, which then led to political conflicts that could not be addressed through democratic process. There were legal deadlocks and the rallying of opposing sides in clashes. There was manipulation of the media to take sides, the escalation of violence, the breakdown of the rule of law and ultimately, the use of weapons in conflict. There was no order in society, which was increasingly characterized by demands for unlimited rights and freedoms that violated communal peace and the rights of other members of the public. This required an intervention to end hostilities, prevent further conflict, and bring the country towards a new era of reform. If left unattended, Thailand would lose its equilibrium and head towards unprecedented civil unrest and perhaps even civil war. There was no other way other than to intervene and restore peace and order in society and rebuild our democracy so that is stronger and sustainable. I add that to this day, there are still politically motivated Thai individuals in and outside the country who abuse social media to distort the facts.
41. Thailand's current challenge is to find a way to solve these problems and to create understanding within the international community of our situation. We do not have any intentions to violate human rights, or to restrict basic rights and freedoms, but that it was necessary for the military to take control the situation to prevent the escalation of violence and conflict, and to restore the rule of law and social order only for a while. Given this, all our measures have been based on the rule of law, the equal application of the law and law enforcement. We have enforced the law only in situations when laws have been broken. Taking action in these stances should not be considered as in violation of any human rights, even though they are separated only by a very thin line.
(VII) Solving Thailand’s Problems
42. The Royal Thai Government is currently committed to maintaining peacefulness and orderliness, addressing political problems through strengthening our democracy, fostering reconciliation, addressing economic problems, restoring confidence for investors and the international community, combating corruption, reforming and modernizing our laws, reforming our civil administration, instituting social orderliness, reducing disparities, developing the country to have a deep-rooted resilience through the adoption of His Majesty the King’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in national administration, with the Pracharat approach to cooperation to reduce social disparities and progress the country towards a Thailand 4.0 status through supporting modernisation of 5 existing industries and supporting capacity-building for 5 new industries of Thailand.
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