THE JUNTA chief will “do whatever is necessary” to ensure that the August 7 referendum on the draft constitution goes ahead as planned, despite all the moves by opponents of the charter, according to a highly placed source.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who also heads the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), will not invoke his power under Article 44 of the interim charter to cancel the referendum in case of unrest, said the NCPO source.

The source said there was a 50-50 chance for the draft to pass the national vote. However, if most voters reject the draft, Article 44 may be invoked for a new version of the constitution to be written.

“It is likely that the new constitution will be based on the 1997 and 2007 charters,” the source said.

“The political situation has been quite fragile,” the source said. “There are more political games from ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, the Pheu Thai bloc, academics and anti-junta students.

“Foreign countries also tend to interfere more [in our affairs],” the source added. “They try to press us through diplomatic channels or even hire lobbyists to spread distorted information.”

Prayut said yesterday the Kingdom would have nowhere to go if the referendum were not held.

“You have to see what the charter says,” the premier said, referring to the interim charter, stipulating that the referendum must be held to accept or reject the draft.

Prayut, however, did not give a clear response to a remark by Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) spokesman Udom Rathamarit, who said earlier that the referendum could be cancelled if the situation goes out of control.

“They [CDC] have goodwill. People also have goodwill. Only some of them don’t,” the premier said.

‘No ban on observers’

Prayut seemed to soften his tone on the monitoring of the referendum by the international community, saying foreign watchdogs will not be banned from observing the referendum. “I don’t care if they [watchdogs] come or not. They can come if they want to … I can’t stop them,” he said.

When asked if he was confident he could control any situation in the near future, he replied, “I’m not certain about the laws, but I’m certain of our [government’s] good intent and morality.”

All movements have to abide by the current laws, he insisted. “They can’t claim that they’re only expressing opinions,” he said. “They can stop [their movements] if they’re worried. I told them to speak in a creative way, not just dump the charter [draft]. That’s illegal.”

To be on the right side of the law, people simply needed to be aware whether their information on the draft is distorted or not, although many bills have been recently passed to curb speakers and activists on the draft, Prayut said.

Prayut also denied a Pheu Thai request to have observers in polling booths in case there is an attempt to cheat. “Who would do that? I won’t allow even military [officers] in there,” he said.

Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Reform Foundation (PDRF) chairman Suthep Thaugsuban said that he was willing to report himself to the authority if the Election Commission (EC) finds him in violation of the referendum bill.

Suthep’s response followed his opinions favouring the recent charter draft on Sunday, two days after the bill was endorsed.

“I insist that my opinions were expressed legitimately,” Suthep said “They were based on facts and were straightforward. They also didn’t aim to stir conflict.”

The PDRF itself has not planned to host any draft-related activities, he said, but would assign its representatives to join the EC-hosted discussion forums on the draft if invited.

The ex-Democrat veteran also saw a positive light in the country’s political trend. “Prayut is highly popular among the public. I can see that people are alerted and ready to cooperate with him to keep the country’s peace and order,” he said.

However, he thought that online movements against the NCPO should be allowed as long as they do not guide public opinions or violate laws.

Suthep, together with the PDRF secretary Akanat Promphan, was speaking at a press conference on the PDRF-organised art exhibition “Art Lane #9 in Pacific City Club” to be held from May 12 to July 17. The event will include an auction dinner to raise funds for the construction of Pavana Bhotikhun, the PDRF’s planned Buddhist vocational school in Surat Thani’s Koh Samui on its opening day.