National Police Chief Pol General Chakthip Chaichinda has instructed police across the country to step up security measures and urged the Election Commission to deploy more officials to prevent illegal activities at district and provincial levels.

Piyapan added that police had found documents that distorted the charter that had been distributed in northern provinces but had not linked them to a political movement that seeks to sabotage the referendum.

Police have concluded that the papers were produced by individuals, Piyapan said. However, if further investigation discovers links to political groups, police will take legal action against everyone involved, he said.

Debates on the charter draft can be carried out but rallies with political motivations or attempts to instigate disturbances are banned, the police spokesman said.

He added that police had been instructed to carry out their duties without political discrimination, while officers and their families are free to vote either way in the referendum. Senior officers would not give orders on how to vote, he said.

Meanwhile, police are investigating seven cases related to the destruction of lists of eligible voters in Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Satun, Supan Buri, Rayong and Phichit, Piyapan said, adding that most of the cases were caused by accidents or human error.

None of the seven cases are link to politics, he said.

Chakthip said that a new list of 306 eligible voters had been posted at Had Moon Krabue Temple in Tambon Yan Yao, in Phichit’s Muang district, after the previous list displayed in the temple hall was completely destroyed by more than 10 monkeys.

Surachai Maneeprakorn, chairman of the public referendum sub-committee for Phichit’s Muang district, led villagers to feed more than 200 monkeys living in a community forest near the temple to prevent them from entering the temple again and destroy the new list.

Surachai said he felt thankful to the monkeys after news about monkey destroying the list broke and captured voters’ interest, making them become aware about the upcoming referendum. Phichit’s Election Office director Prayoon Chakpattarakul said after the incident, Phichit Provincial Election Commission put 19 pages of eligible voter list on the board. The voters do not need to open the list every page to search for their names since all pages are spread out on the board. The monkeys cannot destroy the paper because the board has a glass covered to protect against destruction.