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 of problems that knows no end. In the meantime, the conflict had developed to a larger degree and tended to become more serious to the extent that riots could happen at any time, which might harm the lives, property, and convenience of innocent people, affect the livelihoods and indebtedness of agriculturists, especially paddy farmers, [disturb] the economic developments of the Country, the prevention of problems from natural disasters, the trust in the state power, and the confidence of foreign investors, and provide more opportunities for the commission of crimes and other acts of unrest, thus likely to eventually shatter the security of the Nation and the faith of the people in the democratic administration with Monarch as Head [of State]. The National Council for Peace and Order thus needed to step in to seize and take control of the administrative power of the Country on the 22nd day of May 2557, and announced the termination of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, 2550 Buddhist Era, except the provisions in Chapter 2: The Monarch. The guideline designated for resolving the problems is of three stages: the urgent stage would be the exercise of powers for deterring the use of forces and weapons to threaten people, putting an end to fears and misgivings, and mending the problems of the economy, society, and politics and administration which have accumulated for over six months, until they are eased off, so as to prepare for moving into the second stage, in which an interim constitution would be brought into existence, an assembly would be established to discharge legislative duties, and a governmental body would be created to administer the public services of the State, to tackle the critical situations until they return to their normal state, to restore order, the feelings of love and unity, and equity, to remedy the problems of the economy, society, politics, and administration, to bring into being laws which are in urgent need, to establish an assembly for national reform and various organisations for the purpose of initiating reform in the field of politics and other fields, and to draw up a new constitution which would lay down a watertight and suitable political canon, prevent and suppress corruption, and allow the exercise of the state power to be scrutinised in an efficacious, expeditious, and fair manner, before handing over these missions to the representatives of all Thais and a government that are to take up the administration of the public services of the State in the next stage. In executing the said activities, importance would be given to the fundamental principles rather than to the mere methods of democracy, for which reason it requires time to create an atmosphere of order and reconciliation for the purpose of bringing the long lost happiness back to the people, and to reform some laws and rules which have been triggers of the conflict, which are unclear, which provide no way out in the time of crisis, or which are devoid of efficiency or equity, in order that they be in line with the nature of the problems and the requirements of the people in the Nation. The time to be so taken would not be so long as that which would be wasted had the situations been left at the mercy of fate; THEREFORE, it is commanded that the following provisions be applied as a Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (Interim) until promulgation of the new constitution, which is to be prepared in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution:

Thailand is one and indivisible kingdom.

Thailand has a democratic administration with a Monarch as Head [of State].