Democracy will return: Thai PM

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has assured the return of democracy in the country by 2017, the media reported on Tuesday.

He made the announcement to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York city, the Bangkok Post reported.

The prime minister informed the UN chief of the country's political situation and outlined the roadmap and new charter-writing process with fresh elections tentatively scheduled to take place in the middle of 2017, a government spokesman said.

The prime minister said the roadmap is instrumental to strengthening the country and enabling it to fully contribute to UN objectives, he said.

The meeting, which lasted more than an hour, was requested by the US, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee.

The US has continually pressed the Prayut government to restore democracy since the May 22 coup last year.