Thailand\\\'s coup leader outlines policies

BANGKOK, Sept 12 (agencies): Thailand's coup leader-turned-prime minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha made his first major policy statement Friday in a 2-hour televised speech that described his vision for the country.

 Prayuth's 11-point plan is the latest in a series of moves by the junta to consolidate power on its own terms, starting with the May 22 coup that overthrew an elected government.

 Last month, the junta's hand-picked legislature named Prayuth as new prime minister - an expected outcome since he was the only candidate. He then formed a Cabinet in which his trusted allies from the armed forces were given key portfolios.

 Prayuth has said the army needed to intervene to halt violent protests that had paralyzed the government. He has vowed to restore democracy after making sweeping political reforms, which critics say are designed to purge the influence of the ousted ruling party and benefit an elite minority allied to the establishment that has failed to win national elections for more than a decade.

In his first speech to an appointed parliament after seizing power in a military coup in May and becoming prime minister in August, Prayuth said that only 20 million people out of Thailand's population of about 68 million pay taxes.

"The tax collection in this new fiscal year will be broadened to new tax bases to boost revenue to the country and promote fairness. This will include an inheritance tax and land tax," he said.

"The tax issue is aimed at promoting fairness, with a limited impact on low-income earners... Those tax (benefits) that favor the rich will be terminated," Prayuth said.

In a wide-ranging, two-hour policy speech that was short on detail, Prayuth gave no indication on how long he would need to push through reforms he plans for Thailand.

He has said that a general election could be held late next year, after a reform of the electoral system, although some political analysts believe he could be in power longer.