AHEAD OF the referendum on the constitution draft, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday confirmed that all parties would be prohibited from campaigning either for or against the charter.

The prohibition will be fully enforced after the draft bill that will govern the referendum process receives royal endorsement, Prayut said, claiming that such measures were necessary to keep order.

Prayut may have been referring to Article 62 of the referendum bill, which prohibits people from inciting disorder during the referendum election with a possible penalty of three years in jail and a fine of Bt200,000. Courts could also revoke offenders’ right to vote for five years.

If Article 62 offenders organise in groups of five people or more, they could face one to 10 years in jail and fines ranging from Bt20,000 to Bt200,000, and possibly have their voting rights revoked for 10 years.

Disruptive actions are judged to include incitement to violence, threats and distorted information sent via social media channels, which might induce people not to vote or influence their decisions.

Sceptical commentators have questioned the definition of “wrongful” messages as specified in the draft and asked the government and the Election Commission to provide a clarification. There are also worries that junta authorities could interpret the ambiguity as they chose.

The government has mounted its own campaign to encourage people to vote in the August 7 referendum, although authorities say the effort is not intended to influence people to vote in favour of the draft.

Since seizing power in 2014, the military has banned political activity but for the most part has not prevented political parties from commenting on relevant issues, including the draft constitution.

Prayut said the referendum draft bill would help prevent politicians from “playing backstage”, a concern that has been raised by Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) chief Meechai Ruchupan.

“They will be put in jail for 10 years if they do so. Let them do it if they are not afraid,” Prayut said. “Once the bill arrives, the law will be the law.”

All parties have to cooperate with the junta as “there must be rules and other components [to follow] as well”, he said.

“Don’t say democracy is equal to elections and freedom. It’s not like that,” Prayut said after a Cabinet meeting yesterday. “We’re not going to adopt what’s bad.”

Prayut‘s comments followed the recent public backlash in response to the final version of the charter draft. The Network of Academics for Civil Rights group on Sunday joined many other movements encouraging the public to reject the draft on the grounds that it would tend to deprive people of power.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan also has said people were not allowed to campaign regarding the draft, which includes a ban on “Vote No” or “Vote Yes” T-shirts.

“Don’t campaign and don’t influence the referendum. Let people be free to think,” Prawit said yesterday. “If you disagree, then just tick that box.”

After restating Prawit’s earlier point of view on the ban, the prime minister added that he had informed the Cabinet about it.

Academics will also be banned from campaigning once the referendum draft bill is in effect, he said.

However, CDC member Prapan Naikowit said the referendum bill did not ban campaigns outright, but prohibited activities that are deemed to convey distorted information, defame others, cause chaos or encourage destructive political movements.