The Nation Multimedia Group’s digital journalist Suthichai Yoon recently talked with Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva in a Facebook Live interview about political uncertainties and his party’s plans.

As the charter is now in effect and the [political] road map is now proceeding, do you and Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha have the same version of the road map?

To me, the National Council for Peace and Order’s (NCPO) roadmap was relatively flexible, given that the 2014 interim charter went through some amendments. While Prayut always says that the road map has always remained the same, the timeline has occasionally shifted. The first shift was when the first charter draft was rejected in 2015, and the second time was when the NCPO wanted to hold a referendum to approve the charter.

The implementation of the charter can ensure certainty to some extent. But still, the charter may be amended. Even if not, the timeframe is still unspecified. For instance, while the charter says that the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) must forward 10 essential organic laws within 240 days to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the drafters, in fact, can do so faster than that.

For instance, two organic law drafts on political parties and the Election Commission (EC) will be forwarded to the NLA on April 18, to be followed by another drafts on the Upper House and Lower House. Once the four laws are enacted, elections must be held within 150 days.

There are concerns that the charter seems to skip some likely scenarios, such as what happens if the NLA rejects those organic law drafts.

That’s one of related procedures this charter doesn’t talk about. The CDC itself, however, is quite clear on the timeline on drafting organic laws. The CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan said that to get elections started, political parties and the EC should be ready. He also said that those two need time to adjust to the new laws.

From your point of view, how much could the road map be delayed at most?

Nobody knows. But I believe that the government wants everything to go smoothly. The charter’s implementation, for instance, renders the Thai political landscape more clear to foreign eyes. Some Western countries may have restricted relations with Thailand since the coup. However, at the end of the day, their geopolitics and trade ties with us can’t be cut. Another concern is when the parties will be allowed to move. I think that once the organic law on political parties is in place, we are obliged to hold a meeting. How could the NCPO ban us then? To me, nobody wants to take to the public stage and make loud speeches now. No one wants to break public sentiment during the mourning to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

There is also speculation on how the next elected government will look. Many feel it could be a coalition government that would allow military power to stay in one way or another.

Everything is possible. We are convinced by the charter’s stipulations that a single party could hardly gain a parliamentary majority. There could consequently be negotiations that lead to the selection of the PM. The atmosphere will change once the country enters election mode and we have to closely watch movements of each party then.

But I look further beyond the election date. I focus on how the country’s problems can be solved, especially in regards to disappearing economic growth and equality. This government can sustain the economy for now but I don’t expect them to free the country from economic struggles.

The current government is trying to sort out equality via reforms but, so far, we don’t see any tangible outcomes.

The National Reform Steering Assembly does have reform ideas but they might contrast with what society thinks. Their thoughts on local administration are opposite to what reforms ought to be, while the government’s moves on education are criticised for being outdated. This stems from the public’s feelings that the government does not provides them with answers.

How would the Democrat Party propose to solve those problems?

Frankly speaking, people focus on how their children will be able to use English rather than on structural things. Our “English for All” project is one tangible policy.

Another is the economy and the well-being of people, for example, how we could increase the bargaining power of farmers. I believe populism isn’t the only solution to that.

We may have weak spots regarding political strongholds. However, after the absence of political clashes, I have had some talks with the local residents in the North and Northeast. I expect more understanding could make them confident in us.

What about foreign policy? Do you think that political parties should do more? My observation says that Thai people are really keen on foreign affairs in this social media era.

Yes, there is a saying that “all politics is local”. Foreign policies, while progressing continually, should be noted by all parties. They must be able to address Thailand’s stance and strategy in the global arena.

This could be one agenda on party debates and a handy application like Facebook Live can make it all more accessible.

Lieutenant Chanat Hongsittichaikul of Chalong Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene at about 6pm.

“Prince of Songkla University students Passatorn Chaicharoensun, 20, from Hat Yai, and Panicha Mingkanitkul, 19, from Trang, were heading towards a town on Chaofah East Road on a motorbike when a garbage truck, driven by 35yearold Sumon Pimchangmai, smashed into them,” said Chanat.

Panicha was first run over, followed by Passatorn, who was thrown off the bike and crushed under the front wheels of the truck. Rescue workers had to lift the truck from the front to retrieve Passtorn’s body.

“Sumon told us that he did not see the motorbike at the time of impact. However, we will investigate further due to the fact that the CCTV footage doesn’t show who caused the crash,” he added.

Police tests for alcohol and drugs came out negative for Sumon.

Videos and pictures of the incident were soon uploaded and shared on social media, following which users noticed a man with a red bag picking up a cellphone from near one of the students’ bodies and walking off.

Enraged netizens immediately demandฌed that the man be found and arrested.

However, the university’s Facebook page posted on Tuesday morning noted that the man had just arrived at the university to return the phone and explain what had actuฌally happened.

“Suchat Petsri, 43, is a private company security guard and he told us that he only picked up the phone to avoid it getting run over by passing cars,” the university’s post read.

Phuket Gazette reporters called Suchat to ask him directly what had happened that day.

“As soon as I picked up the phone, I saw that the truck driver was about to escape, so I ran to stop him. I kept him about 300 metres from the crowd that had gathered there, until the police arrived,” he said. – Phuket Gazette

The first day of the week-long road accident monitoring period for the Songkran holiday from Tuesday to next Monday, saw 33 deaths and 420 injuries in 409 road accidents nationwide, according to the Road Safety Directing Centre. The number of accidents on Tuesday increased while deaths and injuries decreased compared to the previous year’s Songkran first day with 52 deaths and 431 injuries in 387 crashes.

Chiang Mai had the most accidents with 18 cases, while Ubon Ratchathani and Nakhon Ratchasima had the most deaths with four each, and Chiang Rai had the most injuries at 17, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s civil affairs office head Lt-General Thanes Kalpruek told a press conference yesterday.

Drunk driving was the most common cause of road accidents at 45.4 per cent, followed by speeding at 24.9 per cent, Thanes said. Most crashes involved motorcycles (77.8 per cent) and took place on straight stretches of road (65.2 per cent). While highways saw 36.6 per cent of accidents, rural roads saw 32 per cent. Most accidents (29.3 per cent) occurred between 4pm and 8pm. Almost half (46.3 per cent) of those who were killed or injured in accidents were of working age (20 to 49 years old), Thanes said.

About 63,000 officials manning 2,025 checkpoints nationwide arrested 93,564 motorists for violations – mostly for a failure to present a driver’s licence (27,081 cases) or failure to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle (26,465 cases), he added.

As many people headed to their hometowns for Songkran, various Bangkok outbound highways saw higher volumes, while officers checked motorists to ensure they were following traffic regulations, including a requirement for all passengers in public transport vans and buses as well as those in the front seats of cars and trucks to wear seat belts.

A large number of holidaymakers crowded the roads to the Northeast, especially Mitraparp Highway. Traffic jams occurred at the highway’s various sections including Tambon Nong Nam Daeng and Tambon Klang Dong in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district, the highway section passing through Muang district.

Many travellers were also boarding airplanes and trains to reach their destinations. More than 180,000 travellers to domestic destinations were expected to pass through Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday – a 5-per-cent hike from the same period last year.

In the deep South, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has set up a safety centre at Songkhla’s Hat Yai Train Station to augment security on trains and at railway stations from Hat Yai to the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, which will be functional from last Monday to next Monday, said SRT southern train operation center head Banhan Kobyayang. Deputy Transport Minister Pichit Akarathit yesterday inspected Hat Yai officials’ preparedness to support the higher number of travellers during the holiday.

Chakkrish Permpool, adviser to the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) and a member of its media ethics panel, said on Tuesday it was “regrettable” that the media reform committee had opted for “authoritarianism” in regulating the media industry.

Air Chief Marshal Kanit Suwannet, head of the media reform committee under the NRSA, said that despite the panel’s resolution on the central issues in the bill, it could not be submitted to the NRSA whip immediately because the revision also affected other articles in the draft.

His committee had to review it and ensure that the order of articles and all the references were correct, he added.

Kanit continued to insist it was necessary to establish a media professional council. He said the new constitution ensured freedom of the press, so the new media professional council would not curb media freedom but would oversee ethical issues. Police Maj-General Pisit Pao-in, the committee’s vice chairperson, said earlier that in the latest revision, media personnel would be licensed – and a failure to register would result in penalties of up to two years in jail or a fine of up to Bt60,000, which was a new component proposed in the draft bill.

The panel also insisted on having two permanent secretaries sitting on the proposed media professional council, despite strong opposition by media groups, which said this could lead to interference by the state.

Veteran journalist Chakkrish said it was regrettable that the committee was paying no heed to media professionals who had raised concerns over the draft bill, arguing that no other country in the world would do such a thing.

The new penalties proposed by the NRSA panel are “unprecedentedly peculiar”, he added, referring to the proposal of a two-year jail term and a fine of up to Bt60,000 for those failing to register with the media council.

Chakkrish said that even during authoritarian eras, such penalties had not been imposed against the media.

“Reporting is not a crime,” he said. “It is performing a duty as a watchdog. In fact, there are a number of criminal laws that already keep media performance in check, without the necessity to have such a direct criminal offence waiting for them like this.”

After the next general election, a new government will be formed within two or three months, he said.

Prayut said the election process could start next year after the four organic laws necessary for elections were completed. At present, politics is on hold under an eight-month timeframe specified for the writing of the organic laws.

There will also be royal ceremonies this year, the prime minister said, although he did not specify when. The cremation ceremony for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the coronation ceremony for His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn are expected to be held later this year.

Prayut urged everyone to respect the law, adding that the new Constitution granted rights and freedoms for all, but the government still had to ensure law enforcement and prevent provocations that could lead to conflicts.

Meanwhile, Army chief General Chalermchai Sithisart said he believed the recent bombings in the far South were meant to demonstrate terrorism capabilities and might not have had anything to do with the promulgation of the new Constitution.

Forty bombing incidents took place simultaneously in the deep South after the promulgation of the charter last Thursday. It was speculated that they were meant to show opposition to the Constitution, which was rejected by voters in the three southern border provinces in the nationwide referendum last year.

Chalermchai said yesterday that he believed the attacks were launched to show the capabilities of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), an insurgent group in the far South, or to confirm that it was still active.

However, the Army chief said he was not certain whether the attacks had anything to do with the new charter. The BRN normally acts when it has a chance to cause trouble for all sides, such as people in the affected areas who suffered electricity shortages after the bombings.

Regardless of whether the attack was meant to express dissatisfaction with the new charter, Chalermchai said nothing would change and the junta would continue to follow its agenda.

In a related development, a public announcement about the so-called social contract resulting from reconciliation talks can be expected in June, Chalermchai said.

The reconciliation talks that started in mid-February were completed last week, he said. Opinions were being processed before compiling them into a contract that would be acceptable to all sides, he said.

From late this month until early May, participants will be invited to more meetings to check whether the contract is consistent with their proposals, the Army chief said.

After the Songkran holiday, the responsible panels will convene to discuss the matter again, Chalermchai said.

He said he was not worried and believed that with good intentions the country could move forward eventually.

In an announcement issued on Wednesday evening, the ministry warned the public against directly and indirectly following, having contact with or spreading the messages of academic Somsak Jeamteerasakul, scholar Pavin Chachavalpongpun and Scottish journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall through social media.

The agency said such acts could be in violation of the Computer Crime Act, pointing to recent orders by the Criminal Court for distribution of “inappropriate” information through the computer and Internet systems.

The announcement was signed by the ministry’s caretaker permanent secretary, Somsak Khaosuwan.

All the three men are wanted in Thailand for violating Article 112 of the Penal Code on lese majeste. They now live overseas.

Responding to the announcement that singled him out, Somsak expressed “surprise” at the move.

Pavin said the ministry announcement would only “give more value to me as a refugee”, adding he expected to get more lecturing jobs after this move.

Marshall said Thai authorities were threatening to use the Computer Crime Act to prosecute those who followed him and two Thai academics on social media. He called the order “ridiculous and oppressive” while requesting “everybody who may be at risk to unfollow me immediately”.

At the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to get tough with certain people living overseas who are wanted for lese majeste and who regularly posted messages on social media deemed insulting to the monarchy.