Political parties critical of the junta have called for postponement of either the general election or the examinations so that the students and the test supervisors can cast their ballots.

The next election has been tentatively scheduled for February 24, while the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS) has set the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and Professional and Academic Aptitude Test (PAT) for February 23 to 26.

High-school students need to pass these tests to be eligible for places in universities.

Every year, more than 410,000 students graduate high school, compared to some 120,000 seats available for first-year students in state-run universities.

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the Future Forward Party, said he was concerned that the next election would be held on the same day as the annual GAT/PAT exams, and called on relevant authorities to reschedule one of the two events.

Thanathorn, a tycoon-turned-politician, noted that some 6.4 million people aged 18 to 25 would be voting for the first time in the next election. “These voters will define their future for themselves, after having lived under military rule for a long time,” he said on social media, adding that having to sit for an exam and voting on the same day would be a “big burden” for the students.

The youth arm of Future Forward, New Gen Network, is also campaigning online for signatures on the issue.

Meanwhile, Trirat Sirichantaropas, a young member of the Pheu Thai Party, accused NIETS of ignoring the significance of first-time voters playing a role in the country’s future, adding this could be a violation of the Constitution that gives every person the right to vote freely.

He also pointed out that apart from the students, their accompanying parents and test supervisors also would not be able to cast their ballots, which would be tantamount to stripping them of their rights.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha responded yesterday by saying that Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, who is in charge of the government’s legal affairs, was looking into the matter.

“The decree setting the election date has not been issued, so we will see what we can do,” he said.

Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin also said that there should be no problem as an official election date has not been set. “We will wait for the election decree to be issued first before considering what to do next,” he said.

He said the decentralisation of power to residents in the provinces was necessary to help reduce inequality between regions.

“It is time for provinces all over the country to be able to elect their governors. Every province has its own needs. Also, inequality is partly caused by the fact that everyone has to wait for decisions from Bangkok,” Abhisit said.

Only the governor of Bangkok is popularly elected by residents. Governors of other provinces are senior bureaucrats appointed by the Interior Ministry.

He also promised, if re-elected by party members as the Democrat leader, he would push ahead with matters that the party did not succeed or failed to implement when it was part of coalition governments in the past.

A former prime minister, Abhisit said that among those issues were reform of the police and decentralisation of administrative power to the provinces.

He was speaking in Phuket while campaigning with party members in a race to retain the Democrat leadership on a campaign trip in the southern provinces. He has so far visited Chumphon, Phatthalung and Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Abhisit is one of the three Democrats contesting for the party leader’s seat. The other contestants are Warong Dechgitvigrom and Alongkorn Ponlaboot.

The Thai side is set to introduce its new peace negotiation chief, Udomchai Thamsarorat, while Mahathir will bring newly appointed facilitator, Abdul Rahim Noor, who was once Malaysia’s national police chief.

For Mahathir, violence in the predominantly Muslim South is a wound that is difficult to heal. Since early 2004, more than 7,000 people have been killed after a new generation of Patani-Malay Muslim separatists surfaced.

Initially, a few observers credited the powerful narrative of the Malays of Patani as the source of inspiration for the new generation of separatists. Fingers were also pointed at the divisive then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his “all-or-nothing” policy. Also a handful of hawkish Thai security officials believed that Kuala Lumpur wanted to turn the clock back to the Cold War.

However, few have tried to understand or appreciate the organic nature of the new generation of fighters or the power of their cultural and historical narrative. Virtually all the combatants now work under the secretive Barisan Revolusi Nasional movement.

Unlike other ethnic minorities in Thailand, the Patani-Malay have refused to embrace the state-constructed identity that is referred to as “Thainess” or khwam pen Thai, because it comes at the expense of their ethno-religious identity.

Naturally, Malaysia is concerned this conflict may expand to its side of the border. Its proximity to Thailand makes it a stakeholder in the conflict, while at the same time limiting what it can do in terms of mediation and facilitation.

It is safe to say that bilateral ties between the two nations have been “functional” – something that has had to be carefully managed because one wrong note – as seen during Thaksin’s administration – could set off a war of words between politicians and security leaders on both sides.

Former Thai diplomat Kobsak Chutikul, who in 1999 shared a car ride from Kuala Lumpur to Hat Yai with then-PM Chuan Leekpai and Mahathir and served as an interpreter, said Thailand and Malaysia are close in many respects and share a long history together. Yet this closeness comes with baggage and certain expectations.

“We are not ideological enemies or grand strategic competitors – we are more like relatives, which makes the relationship both strong and fragile,” Kobsak said.

“This relationship has to be constantly tended to and never taken for granted because a thoughtless gesture or an unsaid word can be easily misinterpreted.”

Mala Rajo Sathien, a senior lecturer from the University of Malaya, pointed out that “cross-border” ties existed long before there was a border, and it is unfortunate that “we look at people mostly as citizens or subjects of a nation-state – enclosed strictly within the borders of the nation.

“But history shows that their existence predates the nation-state,” Sathien said, adding that the two countries should never overlook the potential of people-to-people relations across the border as a bridge for peace.

Sathien and Rosenun Chesof, another University of Malaya academic, recently co-authored a book, “Siamese in Malaysia: Beyond Sixty Years of Heritage”, to highlight this special link between the two people.

While the ethnic Thai community in Malaysia has achieved a level of comfort, the ethnic Malays who are concentrated in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces are still negotiating terms for a peaceful coexistence. The ongoing armed conflict is an extension of that negotiation process.

Thailand and the Patani-Malay appeared to have established a level of comfort in the first 50 years after the border was drawn at the turn of the century. However, that went out the window when Thai nationalism and the government’s policy of assimilation were rejected by the Patani-Malays in the 1960s with the emergence of armed separatist groups.

In early 2013, the government of Yingluck Shinawatra launched peace talks facilitated by Kuala Lumpur. Yet, five years later, Thailand and the Malays of Patani have still not been able to identify the terms for peaceful coexistence.

At a time when the region’s leadership appears to have turned towards authoritarianism, Mahathir – whose leadership style has not been without controversy – comes across as a breath of fresh air in Southeast Asia.

The Malaysian leader, who sticks to Asean’s long-standing tradition of non-interference, has made known his disappointment in Aung San Suu Kyi for not speaking out against the atrocities committed against the Muslim Rohingya.

And while China has succeeded in building a strong presence in Asean, Mahathir has proved that he is not afraid to go against Beijing if he believes his position will benefit Malaysia’s stability and international standing.

He sent a strong message of defiance to China by scrapping a high-speed train project as well as releasing 11 Uighur detainees – who had broken out of Thailand’s immigration detention centre and were caught in Malaysia – and allowing them to travel onward to Turkey. These actions would be extremely rare among other Asean leaders.

EC secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma said the agency was gathering information regarding Thaksin’s alleged interference.

Information or evidence obtained will help the agency determine whether the Political Parties Act was violated and whether the party should be dissolved, he said. The commission is reviewing photos, video clips and media reports, including those of Pheu Thai politicians meeting Thaksin in Hong Kong recently, Jarungvith said.

“In order to determine whether the party has been influenced, the EC will see if the party lacks the freedom to carry out its activities. If any wrongdoing was committed, the party in question risks being dissolved,” Jarungvith said.

The EC’s reaction came after Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also defence minister, called on the agency on Monday to look into Thaksin’s interview, which many critics saw as a move to exercise influence over Pheu Thai.

In an interview to Japanese TV channel NHK in Hong Kong last week, Thaksin made several comments about the upcoming election, including one predicting that Pheu Thai would win some 300 out of 500 seats in the House of Representatives. Thaksin is not a member of the party nor does he hold an executive post, but he is viewed as Pheu Thai’s patriarch and some say he has retained much influence among its politicians, with many of them referring to him as “Big Boss”.

Many Pheu Thai politicians including senior figures met Thaksin in Hong Kong earlier this month. Similar meetings took place in May in Singapore. The former leader has lived in self-imposed exile since 2008. While in Japan in March, Thaksin predicted a “landslide victory” for Pheu Thai in the next election, and earlier this year, he was also heard condemning party defectors and predicting their election loss.

A new law governing political parties prohibits non-members from interfering in internal affairs and parties from allowing such interference. Those violating the law risk a jail term of between five to 10 years, a fine of between Bt100,000 and Bt200,000, and a ban from elections. The party also faces dissolution. According to the law, the EC can seek an order from the Constitutional Court to have the violating party dissolved.

Jarungvith said yesterday that the agency was scrutinising all political parties suspected of violating the Political Parties Act. A fact-finding committee is being set up and investigations will begin as soon as there was convincing evidence, he added.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai leader Wirote Pao-in maintained yesterday that Thaksin had nothing to do with the party and that he had made the remarks as a Thai citizen who was concerned for his country. As for Pheu Thai politicians meeting Thaksin overseas, Wirote said they still respected the former prime minister and the “party had nothing to do” with the meetings.

Wirote said he saw no valid reason for Pheu Thai to be dissolved due to this matter, as Thaksin has not interfered in the party’s internal affairs.

The party leader dismissed speculation that Pheu Thai has “spare parties” in case it is dissolved. Observers believe Puea Chat and Puea Tham parties are affiliated with Pheu Thai, and politicians from the former ruling party hold executive posts.

Information or evidence obtained will help the agency to determine whether the Political Parties Act was violated and whether the party should be dissolved, he said.

The EC is reviewing photos, video clips and media reports, including those concerning Pheu Thail politicians meeting with Thaksin in Hong Kong recently, Jarungvith said.

“In order to determine whether the party in question has been influenced, the EC will see if that party lacks the freedom to carry out its activities. If wrongdoing was committed, the party involved risks being dissolved,” Jarungvith said.

He also said that the agency was scrutinising all political parties suspected of violating the Political Parties Act. A fact-finding committee is being set up and the investigation would begin as soon as there is convincing evidence, he added.

“It all depends on evidence,” the senior official said.

In an interview with NHK in Hong Kong last week, Thaksin made several comments about the upcoming election, including a prediction that Pheu Thai would win some 300 out of 500 seats in the House of Representatives in the next general election.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai leader Wirote Pao-in on Tuesday maintained Thaksin had nothing to do with the party, and that the ex-PM made his remark as a Thai who was concerned about his country.

Regarding Pheu Thai politicians meeting with Thaksin overseas, Wirote said they still hold personal respect for the former prime minister. “The party had nothing to do” with the meeting between Thaksin and the visiting politicians, said the Pheu Thai leader.

Wirote said he saw no valid reason for Pheu Thai to be dissolved due to this matter, as Thaksin has not interfered in the party’s internal affairs.

On Monday, Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan called on the EC to investigate Thaksin’s interview, which was seen by critics as exercising influence over Pheu Thai.

Despite living in self-imposed exile since 2008, some people say he has retained much influence over the party, which has repeatedly formed government. Many party politicians are known to refer to him as “Big Boss”.

The new law governing political parties prohibits non-members from interfering in their internal affairs. Those violating the law risk a jail term and a ban from participating in politics, while the party itself could be dissolved.

General Prawit, who is in charge of security affairs, said the media often made “untrue allegations” about him and caused him to become “the weakest link” within the ruling junta – the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

Media reports said the disgraced Chinese generals – Fang Fenghui and Zhang Yang – had come to Thailand to discuss China’s sales of military hardware to the Thai military.

However, Prawit yesterday maintained that he had neither met the Chinese generals nor knows them personally.

“I don’t know the two generals in question. The person who came to meet me was Meng Jianzhu, who has already retired. I am familiar with him,” Prawit said.

Before his retirement last year, Meng had served as the secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China. He also headed China’s Central Public Security Comprehensive Management Commission.

Prawit said yesterday that the purchases by the Armed Forces were carried out in the form of government-to-government deals, with no involvement of any private company.

He maintained that the purchases were done by the Armed Forces and that the NCPO was not involved.

Massive corruption

The Chinese government last Tuesday announced it was stripping the two generals of their ranks and party membership.

“The violations are very serious and the scale of the corruption is huge. It caused serious damage,” according to a statement released through state news agency Xinhua.

Fang, the former chief of joint staff, is under investigation in a corruption case involving more than 100 million yuan (Bt500 million).

The statement from the Central Military Commission said Fang, 66, had seriously violated political discipline and central government rules that ban extravagance and taking bribes.

Separately, the commission also said Zhang, a former head of its political work department, had been stripped of his rank as general and his party membership. Zhang, 66, hanged himself at his home in Beijing in November 2017 when he was being investigated.

“Zhang attempted to escape punishment through committing suicide. This has seriously damaged the party and the army,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, a senior EC official said the agency would need to “look into the matter in detail” before it could determine whether the former PM had violated the Political Parties Act.

“I haven’t seen the full interview yet, so I can’t tell if the law was violated. We need to look into this matter in detail,” said Krit Urwongse, deputy secretary-general of the EC.

The new law governing political parties prohibits interference in their internal affairs by non-members.

Violating individuals risk a jail term and a political ban, while violating parties could be dissolved.

Thaksin recently forecast that Pheu Thai, in which he has retained much influence, would win some 300 out of 500 seats in the House of Representatives in the next general election.

Prawit, who is in charge of security affairs, also maintained on Monday that the election would “certainly be held in February next year”.

Asked by Government House reporters whether Thaksin’s remark had caused any political impact, Prawit replied that all parties were being affected.

When asked if the EC should investigate this matter, he said: “The media should prod them to do so.”

The deputy PM was also asked to comment on a planned lecture by Thaksin at a university in Sweden early next month, which has been viewed as his latest political move.

He responded by saying that Thaksin had often made such moves throughout the past four years.

He also noted that the fugitive former prime minister was facing many criminal cases stemming from his tenure in power, although one of the cases had seen its statute of limitations expire on October 21.

He added that under a revised law, however, corruption-related cases now had no statute of limitations.

Thaksin has been in self-exile since 2008 after fleeing the country shortly before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders sentenced him to two years in jail for abuse of power while in office.