Won’t resign if Thais reject draft constitution: Thai PM,  Prayuth Chan-ocha , referendum , National Council for Peace and Order,Thailand Prime Minister ,  August 7 referendum , junta 

Bangkok: Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on June 27, he would not resign if Thais reject a military-backed draft constitution when they vote in a referendum in August.

Prayuth heads the ruling junta, or National Council for Peace and Order, that came to power after a bloodless coup toppled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s elected government in May 2014 coup.

The military had justified the coup, saying it had acted to restore stability after months of street demonstrations in Bangkok had paralysed Yingluck’s government.

“I won’t resign. I am the one who lays out the rules for this country,” Prayuth told reporters at Bangkok’s Government House, insisting Thais should not compare him to British Prime Minister David Cameron who announced his resignation last week after Britain voted in a referendum to quit the EU.

The August 7 referendum will be the first national vote in Thailand since the coup and should provide a test of the junta’s popularity, experts said.