The domestic policy of Surayud Chulanont as Prime Minister of Thailand affected the Thai economy, human rights, education, and numerous other areas. Appointed Prime Minister by a military junta that overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, he has been praised for his efforts to reverse the policies of the Thaksin government and to reduce the role of foreigners in the Thai economy. However, his policies have been controversial, and he been accused of economic mismanagement, rampant human rights abuses, and allowing the escalation of the South Thailand insurgency. New constitution The junta's 2006 Interim Constitution authorized it to appoint a 2,000 person National Assembly which would select members to become candidates for a Constitution Drafting Assembly. From the onset of his appointment as Premier, Surayud Chulanont was urged by academics to override the junta's control of the constitution drafting process. Surayud eventually gave the junta a free hand in drafting the constitution. The junta had originally promised to draft a permanent charter within eight months and to hold elections in October 2007. However, the Prime Minister's Office Minister Thirapat Serirangsan later announced that elections might not occur until one year and five months. Thaksin Shinawatra Surayud warned deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra several times against returning to Thailand, calling his return "a threat". During a November 2006 trip to China for the ASEAN-China Summit, Surayud refused to meet Thaksin, who was also in China at the time. Surayud later denied Thaksin the opportunity to return to Thailand to contest in eventual elections, and said that the appropriate time for him to return would be "after a year," when a newly elected government was already in place. Thaksin's diplomatic passport was revoked by the Foreign Ministry on 31 December 2006 after the government claimed he had engaged in political activities while in exile. Thai embassies were ordered not to facilitate his travels. Traditionally, all former prime ministers and foreign ministers of Thailand were permitted to hold on to their diplomatic passport for life. Thaksin later publicly announced that he was quitting politics. Surayud's Defense Minister later announced that the junta would refuse Thaksin's reconciliation offer, claiming that Thailand was being threatened by "ill-intentioned people" and capitalism. Telecommunications The planned merger of state-telecom companies TOT and CAT. The cancellation of plans to list TOT, CAT, and Thai Post on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. The cancellation of the Thaksin government's telecom excise tax