The Council for National Security  (CNS) plans to weed out bureaucrats still loyal to the last regime and ignoring the interim government.

"Civil servants in every ministry will undergo job evaluations and those inactive, like putting a stick shift transmission into neutral, will be dumped from their positions," CNS spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnoed, yesterday following a CNS meeting.

A mass reshuffle was proposed for April because many officials appeared unwilling to root out the legacy of power from the Thaksin Shinawatra regime.

The CNS expects two months would be sufficient for government workers to reform themselves and make a positive contribution, he said.

"Boosting bureaucratic performance is one of the proactive measures to flex the power entrusted by society to the CNS, as the September 19 coup set out to bring about political and social improvements," he said.

Yesterday's CNS meeting chaired by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin reviewed confidence-building measures in the wake of the New Year's Eve bombings.

Soldiers and police have been deployed in crowded places rated as a high security risk. Sonthi will tomorrow convene the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) to tighten up security measures across the country.

The CNS wants to ensure maximum safety for National Youth Day celebrations on Saturday. It has assigned the Army to organise children's day festivities at the Royal Plaza.

Although the CNS did not review the police investigation into the eight bomb blasts, CNS member and National Police chief General Kowit Watana told the meeting that more time was needed to crack the cases.

The CNS decided to take a backseat in the bombings probe, as ISOC was responsible for overseeing it.