The NCPO has dispatched special public relations teams to all 77 provinces to ensure voters understand the proposed constitution and clear up any doubts they may have, or concerns raised by politicians.

The Pheu Thai Party has issued a statement rejecting the charter drafted by a committee led by Meechai Ruchupan as “undemocratic”.

The Democrat Party has not decided how to vote on the charter, but it appears to be leaning towards accepting it with some provisos.

Special teams have been sent to every tambon regardless of political colour, whether yellow or red, to provide explanations both in public and face-to-face.

They were instructed to inform the local village head or kamnan before scheduling a forum.

Sometimes the seminar takes place at night and sometimes it is broadcast over community loudspeakers for all villagers to hear.

These teams have been told to tell the voters that this charter is the version that the Prayutgovernment and the NCPO hope will steer the country in a direction that would reduce the kind of political conflicts that have plagued the country in the past.

The members of the PR teams are recruited from field service teams that have been meeting locals, distributing consumer items and providing water to drought victims.

“They have been trained to use simple language and explain to locals what the essence of the draft charter is without pressuring or misleading them,” a soldier, who is on one of the special teams, said.

The soldier said his team told the people that their community would be empowered to chart its own future and the people themselves would be empowered to participate in the development of their community under democratic principles.

The new teams were confident that their explanation could make voters understand the charter and not yield to the influence of political parties, he said.

However, the official did not rule out the possibility of the referendum not being held.

“Several factors can compound the situation. Don’t blink. Anything can happen. It depends on what’s happening. There may not be a referendum.

“If that’s the case, the NCPO has a contingency plan. It’s possible the council may adopt a version that is an adaptation of the interim charter of 2014 and the Meechai draft,” he said.