The UDD, or “red shirts”, set up the anti-fraud centre on June 5, claiming it would monitor the government to see if it coerces or influences voters to reject or accept the charter draft in the national referendum in early August.

But The Patriots, led by Chatchet Songsri, claim the UDD really wants to discredit the Constitution Drafting Commission, the National Legislative Assembly and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

The group claimed there was an ulterior motive for the UDD centre – to influence the public to vote against the charter draft in the referendum. Its members submitted leaflets and documents to police as evidence.

It has already submitted the same complaint to the Election Commission, which it asked to take action against the UDD.

Chatchet also asked police to press charges against the Resistant Citizen group, which he accused of violating the referendum law by producing a music video of the song “Yang Nee Tong Tee Khao” to disseminate to the public. He said the lyrics attempted to influence the public to reject the charter draft.

Meanwhile, UDD chairman Jatuporn Prompan and co-leaders submitted a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, telling him the objectives of the anti-fraud centre.

He said the centre had no intention to cause national rifts but want to check irregularities in the referendum.

Although Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the UDD could set up the centre, Prawit has asked the UDD to shut it down, Jatuporn said.

“We are not a national security threat. But we act like a referee to check if the government has no intention to cheat and the referendum is not fraudulent. We ask General Prawit to be open-minded,” he said.

Jatuporn said the government could not shut down the centre unless it resorted to Article 44, the interim charter’s clause granting the prime minister sweeping powers.

He said the centre wanted to invite the United Nations and the European Union to monitor the referendum because he felt the government has verbally and physically intimidated them and they wanted foreign agencies to help create transparency in the referendum.

UDD co-leader Nattawut Saikuar said the group would not dissolve the centre as requested by Prawit, but added that the UDD did not want to challenge the deputy prime minister.

Prawit said the government would not have to resort to Article 44 to close the anti-fraud centre because there are other laws that he could enforce.

Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda said the UDD centre probably would break the NCPO’s ban on political gatherings.

He said setting up the centre would not benefit the country because such a body must be politically neutral and the UDD had rejected the charter draft from the beginning.

“If the charter draft passes the referendum, the UDD can claim that there was fraud and use it as a political condition later,” he said.