As the new constitution came into effect yesterday, legal experts who work with environmental groups and community rights campaigners expressed concerns that there was still a tough fight ahead to push forward with sustainable development and people’s rights.

“Life under the new constitution for the people who fight to protect their communities and the rights to manage their livelihoods will still remain tough. Moreover, they will have to fight harder to get the government to protect their rights and the environment,” Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, a lawyer from Community Resource Centre Foundation, said.

“Things will be more difficult for community rights campaigners if the NCPO orders are still active even under a democratic government, because there are many NCPO orders which severely violate people’s rights and diminish environmental protection in favour of large projects.”

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai Party leading figure Watana Muangsook yesterday called on the government to limit its use of absolute power via Article 44 of the interim charter. However, he added that whether or not the junta would stop exercising its absolute power would depend on how much moral sense they had.

With a new constitution being promulgated, the politician called on the current administration to take a caretaker role while preparing to “pass the baton” to a new government to be formed after the next election.

He warned that if the junta continued using such power, it would be difficult for future government to work.

Pheu Thai was ready to contest the election, Watana said. But he added that something worrisome for the party was possible use of absolute power during the election campaigning and possible rejection of the election result.

Surachai Throngngam, EnLawThai Foundation secretary-general, agreed that environmental protection would remain difficult if the absolute power of NCPO orders were still guaranteed, even if there is a new constitution.

“According to the temporary provisions of the new constitution, the NCPO orders will continue their effectiveness under the new government. They will be revoked only when there is a new law to make them inactive,” Surachai informed.

He warned that if the NCPO orders are preserved, the rule of law under the new constitution will not be effective as the government can use the absolute power to rule the country.

He said that many NCPO orders were problematic. As an example, order 3/2558, which strictly controls activism within the Kingdom, will make people’s efforts to fight for their rights a difficult task and make them liable for prosecution.

Sor Rattanamanee said the new constitution removed community rights from the citizen’s rights section as the government’s duty and people would have to demand that the government protects their rights.

“In the 2007 constitution, the |people could cite their rights directly from the constitution, as it was stated in the citizen’s rights section that all people had the right to participate on local resource management and to live in a healthy environment,” |she said.

“However, as these rights were transferred to the government’s |duty, we have no guarantee that the government will protect the people’s rights and people may have to |petition the government.”

THE 20TH Constitution of the Kingdom has finally been promulgated, and everything that attaches to it – the road map, the election and the resumption of democratic rule – now becomes more concrete after almost three years of a nebulous rule since the coup.

But looking back, what happened to the “we’ll keep our promises, just give us a moment” lyrics that were constantly played as the regime’s theme song in 2014, which were repeated in interviews and media briefings which also said an election would be held the following year?

The “moment” the junta asked for in 2014 turned into 29 months since the charter drafting started in November 2014. Over such a prolonged period, not only the drafting but many other issues got in the way and delayed by three years the promised 2015 election, now set for 2018.

The whole process started off in November 2014. About five months after the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) seized power, junta head Prayut Chan-o-cha appointed the Constitution Drafting Committee, chaired by veteran jurist Borwornsak Uwanno, to write a new charter that was to govern the country after the junta stepped down. According to the interim charter, the panel had 120 days to complete the country’s supreme law.

Authorities then said the charter could be completed in mid-2015 and, after writing necessary organic laws, the election was anticipated late that year or early 2016.

But the plot became twisted. The charter, despite its strong civil politics components, included a crisis committee that became highly controversial, and before it could be put before a national referendum, it was aborted by the junta-appointed National Reform Council, stirring up a national drama.

Borwornsak was furious to the point of saying that he regretted being part of a charter drafting process that had ruined his reputation and that “[the military] was here to stay”.

The failure of the first draft and the inclusion of the crisis panel that could have overruled elected governments, also prompted junta opponents to call for the military to step down to let an elected government write the constitution.

Regardless, the junta went on with its “road map to democracy”, amending the constitution to allow for another charter writing panel, and began drafting the constitution once again in October 2015.

It appointed a new panel, the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC). This time, it was veteran constitution writer Meechai Ruchupan in the saddle. But it has not been an easy ride. For one thing, he was appointed by a post-coup regime that has been highly censured both at home and abroad. For another, the anti-coup faction constantly has brought up the fact that Meechai also wrote the constitution in 1992 that led to the bloodshed of Black May as a consequence of an outsider prime minister. But the veteran rode out the storm of distrust, completing the new charter draft, which challenged pro-democracy advocates with an alleged bureaucratic slant as well as a so-called “democracy exemption period” of five years to rebuild the country. This was seen as allowing an outsider prime minister and establishing mechanisms alleged to help prolong the coup-makers’ power.

In August, four months after the charter was completed, Meechai claimed victory after the draft was approved in a national referendum that also asked the people whether they would agree to authorise the non-elected Senate to participate in choosing a prime minister.

Although it was uncertain whether the referendum’s success was due to the regime’s popularity or a desire for elections, the sequel was clear: The CDC had to revise the draft charter corresponding to the poll results before submission for royal endorsement.

Just when charter promulgation was clearly in sight, the road map met another sharp turn when the Kingdom’s much-beloved monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away in October. Seeking royal endorsement to officially enact the charter consequently had to be put on hold as the present King Vajiralongkorn joined the Thai people in national mourning.

In the meantime, the Constitutional Court advised revising the charter’s preamble, which involved the title of the monarch and year of his reign. The National Legislative Assembly also petitioned the court to rule whether the Senate could propose PM candidates.

As a result, it took another three months before the issues were unravelled and Prayut was able to submit the completed charter for royal endorsement in November.

The charter, however, was returned for revision in consideration of royal observations.

That process also required an amendment of the interim charter. Altogether, the revisions were completed and it was submitted for final royal endorsement on February 17.

After the twists and turns during these 29 months, the country can now finally see the new constitution King Rama X endorsed yesterday. And the highly anticipated election should take place about 18 months from now after the necessary organic laws are written.

Srivara also said a police review of CCTV recordings showed that a man had planted the bomb hours before the explosion, which led to two bystanders suffering minor injuries.

He said the small blast, which took place at 8pm inside a garbage bin in front of the old Government Lottery office, was aimed at creating chaos and panic in society rather than killing anyone because the blast radius was only one to two metres.

“Police officers are investigating the evidence. The bomb seems to have been assembled in a similar manner, so it is suspected the same old group did this,” he added.

Meanwhile, city police chief Pol Lt-General Sanit Mahathavorn expressed confidence that the culprits behind the explosion would be brought to justice soon. Following an urgent one-hour meeting at the Chanasongkram Police Station yesterday morning, Sanit said a police review of CCTV recordings in the area had been “useful” but declined to elaborate.

He also instructed police investigators to gather evidence and report back to him on this afternoon.

Sanit also urged members of public not to jump to conclusions or link the incident to politics pending the police investigation.

Sanit said he also instructed city precincts to boost security measures as a precaution.

He inspected the explosion scene again and expressed his opinion that the fragments found were similar to those found after a 2007 blast that damaged telephone booths in front of Major Cineplex Ratchayothin. No one was injured in that attack.

Police said they suspected the explosion was from a low-pressure pipe bomb and was aimed at creating chaos.

Earlier in the morning, police forensic officers along with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team collected evidence at the scene, including metal pieces and an electrical circuit panel.

People said that quake lasted about 15 seconds. Inspection after the incident found some houses were damaged

There are altogether 248 families in the village.

Rattanawadi Srin-in, 18, said that she felt the house shaking and thought that a 18-wheel truck was running past her house. However when she found that it was a quake, she ran out of her house.

Weerasak Rodwijit, 44, said he also felt the tremor and his child said it was an earthquake, so he and his family members ran out of the house. He found his neighbours outside their houses also.

After that, he returned to his house and found four cracks at the house.

It was reported that Governor Narong Polla-iad was already informed of the incident and assigned officials concerned to survey the damage.

The fire caused at least 300,000 baht worth of damages, while the 9-year-old sustained minor injuries.

“At about 9:30am, we received reports of a single story house on fire about 20 meters away from local Member of Parliment (MP) Anchalee Vanich Thepabutra’s home,” said Lt Col Sakchai Chunyong of the Phuket City Police. “The fire took about 15 minutes to extinguish.”

The owner of the house, Nattawut Eakvanich, 37, is a construction worker. There was paint thinner and gas tanks also present inside, which allowed the fire to continue and destroy most of his belongings.

“Nattawut was not present at the house, and his son called him when the fire started. We believe it was caused by an electrical short circuit,” the colonel said.

The boy was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital to treat the wound on his right hand.

Highway Police 7 commander Pol Colonel Pakhin Na Ranong said on Thursday that police suspected a disgruntled local motorist who was fined for exceeding the legal speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour was responsible. The culprit could face a charge of destroying state property, he added.

Songkhla Highway Police issue up to 2,000 traffic tickets per day for motorists caught speeding thanks the two speeding cameras.

The damaged booth is located at an area notorious for speeding-related accidents on the highway’s Hat Yai-Na Mom section. Another area along the same highway at the Hat Yai-Rattaphum section is also monitored. Pending repairs, police will bring a portable speed-detection device to use in the area.

The Cabinet on Tuesday resolved to dissolve the Yala-based centre and merge it into the Provincial Police Region 9, a source at the centre said on Thursday.

The centre was established in 2009 to expedite the handling of cases linked to the unrest in the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat as well as four districts in Songkhla.

The Industry Ministry has prepared a meeting with the company and asked for representatives from related agencies to form the official working group to discuss the issue with Kingsgate, the National News Bureau of Thailand reported on Thursday.

Primary Industries and Mines Department director-general Somboon Yindeeyoungyuen said that the Thai government respected the rights of the company to ask for their benefits from Thailand, under the Australia Free Trade Agreement.

Somboon said the government was considering the facts to find a solution.

However, he said the department still has to strictly comply with the gold mine closure order until it is changed. In the meantime the department was also trying to solve the gold mine problems, enhance local people’s livelihood and suggest a strategic plan to manage gold ore resources.