He was speaking after meeting with Glyn Davies, the US ambassador to Thailand, at the party’s headquarters.

Abhisit said he and Davies agreed that public participation was needed ahead of the referendum but they were aware of the possibility of disturbances.

Abhisit praised Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for allowing the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship to set up an anti-fraud centre for the referendum as long as it did not break any laws.

“It is the right move to allow anyone to check if the referendum is carried out with fairness, but people should not use the centre to stage political activities,” the Democrat leader said.

To prevent disturbances, Abhisit suggested that the Election Commission clarify what activities are allowed and which are banned.

He urged the EC to recommend that the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order not use state resources in favour of supporters of the charter draft, since that would be unacceptable for the public.

“The public relations campaign on the content of the charter draft |is seen as misleading the public,” |he said.