His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn addresses the opening of the National People’s Assembly at the Royal Thai Navy Auditorium yesterday.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralong-korn yesterday asked the 1,982 National People's Assembly (NPA) members to select 200 nominees for the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) in a prudent and straightforward manner.

"The Interim Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand states the objectives of the National People's Assembly and its duties as is well known by the public.

"In this convention, the members of the National People's Assembly have to work honestly and fairly for the members of the Constitution Drafting Assembly, which will draft the Constitution to be the pillar of the country's administration.

"I ask all of you here to be aware of your great burden and be determined to use thorough consideration, prudence and sincerity to select people deserv-ing to be members of the Constitution Drafting Assembly," he said.

The Crown Prince was representing His Majesty the King in chairing the first NPA convention at the Royal Thai Navy Auditorium.

NPA members will start selecting 200 of their number to be CDA nominees.

Those 200 names will be submitted to the Council for National Security (CNS), which will then pick 100 drafting assembly members.

NPA Speaker Meechai Ruchuphan said selection would be finished today. The session will then be closed.

The NPA reconvenes at 9.30am.

He said members were not allowed to lobby for votes. There will be 200 ballot boxes and the selection process should take about one hour.

Results should be known by noon.

He said CDA candidates must not have been members of or held positions in a political party in the past two years.

Checks have found 17 NPA members were unqualified.