“Let me ask, what academic theory tells you to oppose me? Which theory tells you to oppose the government?” Prayut said after a Cabinet meeting.

The Election Commission has issued guidelines of six dos and eight don’ts. It allows personal opinions and campaigns that are backed academically, but stops short of saying whether they could persuade the public to vote yes or no. There have been conflicting interpretations on whether people can express their acceptance or rejection of the draft.

PM Prayut earlier insisted that any form of campaign on the charter draft must not be allowed in order to prevent possible political conflicts. He stressed the point again yesterday. Prayut refused to answer questions regarding the referendum, saying they should be directed to the EC.

Prayut also said former PM Yingluck Shinawatra’s Facebook post critical of him would be scrutinised under the law.

“She [Yingluck] can post what she wants. But it would be pursued under the law,” he said, adding the eight persons who were arrested last week would have their cases prosecuted under the law.

In the meantime, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) would mobilise its forces and facilities to support the information dissemination and public relations campaigns on the ground to be carried out by the EC and the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC), said Sirichan Ngathong, the NCPO’s deputy spokesperson, yesterday. The CDC from this month on would kick off its campaigns, starting with training courses for public relations campaigns in communities nationwide, while the EC has already come up with new laws, including the referendum act and the new announcement regarding public campaigns.

Sirichan said the NCPO would mobilise all of its forces to promote public understanding of the charter draft so that they could go to the poll stations to vote on it freely in the upcoming referendum.

The body would provide support to EC officials upon request to help facilitate their public relations campaigns in regard to the referendum. It would also provide the same facilities to the CDC when they visit people countrywide to educate them about the draft.