Parties call on Thai junta for swift return to democracy

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha arrives at a weekly cabinet meeting at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai political parties called on the ruling junta for a swift return to democracy on Tuesday during military-led reconciliation talks aimed at mending political divisions ahead of elections next year.

The junta has billed the talks as proof that it is serious about a return to democracy, though some parties and activists have questioned how the military can be neutral given its decades of political involvement.