Held at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan Campus, the exhibition focused on the politically controversial points in the charter draft such as the single-ballot electoral system, the non-MP prime minister, and the authorisation of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) as well as its weapon – Article 44 – to stay in power for at least 15 months after the charter is promulgated.

It was a bid to encourage voters to say ‘No’ in a referendum set to take place in July, they said.

NDM is an independent political movement. Its members include the 14 student activists who campaigned against the 2014 coup and current regime. They include the Dao Din group from Khon Kaen and students from Thammasat.

Some of these individuals received local and international attention last year when they were detained for about two weeks after staging protests against the junta.

Besides the exhibition, the activists also screened a Chilean film, “No”, based on the successful campaign to overthrow dictatorship in Chile via a referendum in 1988.

Later, the youths staged a fund-raising concert: “We are Friends: The Naughty Citizens Day”. Tickets were sold for Bt100 each.

A key NDM figure, Rangsiman Rome, a law student at Thammasat, said the funds would be used to subsidise the group’s activities against the constitution draft until the referendum is held. Before the event, he informed the police and they had allowed them to go ahead.

“In the meantime, we will stay reserved about the constitution draft, but will move again after the final version is completed. [We] will certainly campaign against it, since fundamentally the drafters do not represent the people and were appointed by the coup-makers, the NCPO,” the activist said.

Rangsiman also expressed concern over the fairness of the proposed referendum. He urged the government to allow both supporters and opponents of the draft to campaign according to their preference.

Meanwhile, another public talk on the constitution draft entitled “What’s up, new charter?” by an independent civil society group, Prachamati.org, that was to take place today at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), was cancelled.

Police contacted the BACC and said the activity would be deemed a political assembly and would violate an NCPO order.

The people responsible should have sought permission from the authorities first, they said.

However, the police did not respond when Prachamati.org later sent an official letter to explain that it was not a political assembly but an activity that opened space for free speech and thus it should not be prohibited.