Any move to amend the constitution must proceed in line with the mandate expressed by more than 21 million voters in the Feb 8 referendum, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.
However, he said the government was not bound by amendment drafts proposed under the previous parliament.
Mr Anutin was speaking on Wednesday ahead of the May 14 deadline concerning constitutional amendment proposals. Asked whether the cabinet would reaffirm previous amendment drafts after the referendum showed overwhelming support for constitutional reform, he said: "Our position is that we must listen to the people."
The process, he said, must begin with the current parliament rather than be tied to proposals submitted under the previous administration.
"The referendum on constitutional amendment was held on the same day as the general election, so any amendment process must begin with the current parliament. It is not appropriate to bind it to drafts proposed in the previous parliament," he said.
Mr Anutin said the timing and details of any fresh amendment process would be for parliament to decide.
"As the head of government, I am not involved in parliament's procedures," he said.
He also reiterated the Bhumjaithai Party's longstanding position that certain sections of the constitution should remain untouched, particularly provisions related to national sovereignty and the monarchy.
"I have said before that we will not touch sections related to Thailand's sovereignty," he said. "The rest can be discussed."
Asked whether referring to former drafts would be faster than restarting the process from scratch, Mr Anutin said he did not know. Earlier, Klatham Party deputy leader Anudith Nakornthap accused the government of evading responsibility for constitutional reform despite having initiated the referendum process. Capt Anudith said the administration was attempting to shift the burden to the current parliament instead of carrying out its duties.
