Thailand reshuffles cabinet to focus on troubled economy

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has reshuffled his cabinet, appointing a new finance minister and a new deputy premier to oversee the economy as the military government seeks to spur growth.

Southeast Asia's second-largest economy has consistently missed government targets since Prayuth, then army chief, led a coup in May 2014 to end months of protests, with exports and domestic demand stubbornly sluggish.

A weak economy could undermine support for the junta as frustration with restrictions on political activity simmers, particularly among younger voters and supporters of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose government was ousted last year.