General behind Thailand coup named PM

Thailand's coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha has been appointed prime minister by a legislature he hand-picked, giving the army chief a veneer of legitimacy even while the military presses on with efforts to silence its critics.

Although Prayuth's appointment on Thursday paves the way for an interim government to be set up in the coming weeks, power will remain firmly in the junta's hands.

Prayuth has effectively served as de facto premier since the May 22 coup.

The general has said he plans to press ahead with a year of political reforms before a new election that he said will take place by late 2015.

The 60-year-old is due to retire from the armed forces next month and the change appears aimed in part at ensuring stability and continuity as the military implements sweeping political reforms in the months or possibly years.

The military says it took power to avert further bloodshed and restore stability after six months of often violent street protests pitting supporters of ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra against her Bangkok-based royalist opponents.

Any public dissent against the takeover was aggressively repressed by the army in the weeks following the coup.