He said he is ready to support any new leader of the party.

The Democrat’s advisory chief, was speaking as the party holds heated discussions about a new party leader. Incumbent leader Abhisit Vejjajiva recently declared that the leadership of the party is open for competition among suitable party members.

That led to the names of senior party members being raising trial balloons for potential candidates, including former prime minister Chuan, 80.

But Chuan has shot down the suggestion he could return to the helm, saying he would not again compete to regain the party leadership.

Finding a new leader for the Democrats will not be easy, as a successful candidate would need the long experience and strong abilities fitting a party that can be either in government or the official opposition.

“I myself spent more than 20 years to prove myself among the party members,” Chuan said. “The race for the leader’s seat is a method to select a capable person, not reflecting the weak point of the party. This reflects the party’s strength in not belonging to any one individual.”

Many names have been raised to compete in the race, Chuan said. The widespread interest does not show a rift in the party, but instead reflected the different ideas being raised, he said.

Abhisit’s performance had caused no problems for the party, said Chuan, who was the Democrat leader from 1991 to 2003.

The timeframe was set following Wednesday’s promulgation of the new law on MP elections, said EC secretary-general Jaroongwit Phumma.

However, setting the exact election date can occur only after the junta imposed political ban is partially lifted to pave the way for political parties to meet and plan for the election, he added.

“But it will be a bit risky if [the election] is set for May 9,” Jaroongwit said.

Asked about a remark by a government top figures that the election would be held on February 24, he said the EC could manage but it would depend on whether political parties were ready.

At issue is the need for political parties to conduct a primary vote to choose their MP candidates from among party members. Those wishing to run for an MP slot must join the party no later than 90 days before the election date, he said.

“We are ready to organise the election in 90,000 polling stations nationwide,” he said.

Thailand is just a few steps away from a general election – an event that last took place in February 2014.

With the elections in sight, we can also expect some interesting political developments in the coming months.

For instance, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha should soon be disclosing which political party’s candidate he will become if he wants to return to power. Also, the two largest political parties – Democrat and Pheu Thai – will be electing new leaders and naming their PM candidates.

As a first step toward the polls, legislation on MP elections and the Senate structure were announced in the Royal Gazette yesterday. However, the law on MP elections will only come into effect 90 days later, or around mid-December.

As per the Constitution, a general election must take place within 150 days once the last of four laws required for the national poll come into effect. The laws in question are: the Political Parties Act, Election Commission Act, MP Election Act and Senators Acquisition Act.

The next step would be to relax political restrictions, so parties can begin preparing for the election.

After coming to power, the junta issued many orders restricting political activities, including a ban on political gatherings of five or more people, and an order prohibiting political parties from convening meetings or holding events that are political in nature. The easing of political restrictions are bound to bring some exciting developments.

First, General Prayut, who heads the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), is expected to share his future political plans later this month – he had promised to do so once the political restrictions were relaxed.

Now the question is whether the junta chief will choose to return as government head, and if so, will it be as a party candidate or an outsider.

If he contests as a party candidate, he will have a better chance of becoming prime minister if his party can gather enough support in the House of Representatives.

However, if he chooses to be an outside candidate, then it may get a bit risky because he will have to wait for the House of Representatives to fail in electing a prime minister.

Another exciting development will be the names the two main political parties will reveal as their prime minister candidate. Each party is required by law to nominate no more than three PM candidates ahead of the election.

The contest for the party leader’s post, meanwhile, has become very lively in the Democrat Party. The current party chief Abhisit Vejjajiva has made it clear that he wants to contest another term, and he has a good chance of succeeding.

However, some Democrats claim the NCPO is trying to send in their own man to fight for the Democrat leadership. Democrat Watchara Phetthong claimed that the junta wanted Abhisit to be replaced, because he has proved to be “an important obstacle” to Prayut’s return to power.

Abhisit said recently that the Democrat Party under his leadership would not support a prime minister who is not elected by the House of Representatives. This clearly means that Abhisit is against an outsider PM, who is not attached to any political party.

The third step that would bring the country closer to an election would be a royal decree on the election date, which should be issued some time between late December and early January.

Once that happens, we will get to hear who the PM candidates are and parties can start campaigning.

If by that time Prayut fails to decide which party he wants to become a PM candidate of, then it could only mean that he does not want to reveal his political ambitions before the election. If he opts for this choice, the only way he can return as government head is to hope that the House of Representatives fails to elect the next prime minister and the Senate steps in to join the vote.

All 250 senators will be appointed by the NCPO, though 50 of them will come from 200 candidates initially screened through voting among the applicants.

Competing parties will have about 70 days to campaign, but it cannot be done as freely as in previous polls.

Prayut has maintained that the political restrictions will only be “relaxed”, not completely lifted – his excuse is that the country has to be peaceful and free campaigning will only lead to disorder.

“We have to find ways to ensure peace in the country. There must be no chaos before we reach democracy,” he announced last week.

The last step is the election itself. In line with the junta’s road map and relevant laws, the Election Commission has come up with four dates for the election: the earliest being February 24 and the latest allowed by law being May 5. The others are March 31 and April 28.

Political temperatures can only be rising from now on.

JUNTA LEADERS were slammed yesterday for panicking and overreacting by arresting a woman over alleged possession of T-shirts with a federal theme.

Political observers said the group, identified as “Organisation for Thai Federation”, which junta No 2 General Prawit Wongsuwan accused of actively trying to overthrow the monarchy in a neighbouring country, was in fact an association of only a handful of people and lacking any power to realise its aspiration.

The comments were in response to statements on Tuesday from Prawit and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that there was a secessionist movement running deep in the Kingdom. So far the only tangible evidence presented to the public has been limited to a small number of T-shirts bearing a small red-and-white flag. The flag was alleged to be a symbolic representation of federalist aspirations.

Prawit accused Chucheep Cheevasut, also known as Uncle Sanamluang, of being the key movement leader.

Chucheep is a red-shirt extremist believed to be living in exile in a neighbouring country. His political activities seem largely limited to uploading to YouTube his so-called underground broadcasts bearing strong political messages.

The YouTube channel had over 145,000 followers, with each video reaching thousands or tens of thousands of views. And the Organisation for Thai Federation Facebook page had less than a thousand followers with low engagement.

Weng Tojirakarn, a key leader in the red-shirt umbrella group United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, said yesterday the government was exacerbating the situation, possibly for its own political gain.

This is the same old ploy to use security reasons to justify the junta’s grip on power, Weng said.

“In fact, the group is rather powerless. They isolated themselves from the UDD almost 10 years ago. And I believe that they only have perhaps one to three people in the movement,” the red-shirt leader told The Nation. “They are completely impotent. And the junta is making a mountain out of a molehill.”

Political scientist Chamnan Chan-ruang said the junta was overreacting. The group was underground and had always been recognised by a very small number of people until the government made a big deal out of it, he said.

More importantly, the political scientist said their aspiration was not necessarily anti-monarchist. A federation and a republic were two different types of states and the former very often had a monarch as head of state, he explained.

“So, I’m pretty shocked that not one, but two rulers of the country made such ignorant comments equating a federation with the overthrow of the monarchy,” the expert said.

“Plus, I think it is absurd to arrest people over some vague and unknown symbol. It’s their right to have some political ideological preferences. If this became the norm, then the hammer and sickle or the five-pointed red star would be considered illegal, too.”

Political scientist Wanwichit Boonprong sees the issue as about an imminent threat.

The symbol is comparable to the Nazi swastika in terms of controversy, he said. The junta was not being over-sensitive by taking the matter in its hand, he said.

These political messages had been distributed through social media and could be open to different interpretations, Wanwichit said. The security forces were being decisive in trying to stop the movement before it did any damage, he said.

While some critics suspected the junta leader’s actions to be an attempt to gain justification for another election delay, Wanwichit said he believed the threat was real.

The junta knows very well that if the whole thing turned out to be a hoax, it could expect a severe blowback, he argued.

Wanwichit said it was still a smart move to bring the issue to light now, and gave the junta some justification to remain in politics.

In a related development, the motorcycle-taxi rider identified only as Wannapha was released yesterday on a bail of Bt200,000 after being in the Army’s custody for six days.

She has been accused of sedition and crimes of secret association, as the authority found she had 400 alleged federal T-shirts in her possession.

The Cabinet on Tuesday appointed former Democrat Party MP Buddhipong Punnakanta to the post with immediate effect.

Buddhipong was a key figure in the now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), which led a street rally against the previous government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2013.

A statement issued by Srisuwan Junya, secretary-general of the Thai Constitution Protection Organisation Association on Wednesday, deemed that the Cabinet’s appointment severely violated the ethical code in Article 219 of the current constitution.

He said the appointee is being accused of sedition charges along with other PDRC members. The offence carries a severe penalty and was the cause of the military coup, he said.

“The appointment reminds society to look back to the root cause of the coup [and wonder] whether PDRC and coup makers had a close relationship before [the coup],” he said.

Pheu Thai Party deputy spokesperson Anusorn Iamsa-ard questioned how the appointment of a person who is facing severe criminal charges would enhance reconciliation.

Society cannot imagine how an appointment of a person who caused a riot, protested against and obstructed an election [in 2014], would be a support for the country [in the lead up]to an election, said Anusorn.

Meanwhile, Buddhipong on Wednesday reported to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and said he would report directly to the premier going forward but not work as his personal spokesperson.

The newly appointed deputy PM’s secretary-general said he was assigned to help with public-relations communications about the government’s performance and to be a go-between in handling public complaints about the government.

This was the second time he had been invited by government figures to join the government and he said it would not have been appropriate to refuse twice.

“When I received one more opportunity from PM Prayut, I do not have the right to reject [the invitation] from “phu yai’ [senior citizen],” he said.

His first invitation was to chair the board of Tourism Authority of Thailand, but it was not convenient for him to take the post at that time.

The former Democrat party MP said he won’t return to his former party to run for election, but declined to say whether or not he would join a party that backed General Prayut as the next prime minister.

Junta leaders yesterday said possession of black T-shirts bearing a small flag with red and white stripes was “treason” and threatened to arrest everyone involved.

Red-shirt hardcore activist Chucheep Cheevasut, better known as “Lung Sanamluang”, was named yesterday as a key leader of the alleged separatist movement “Federation of Thai States”, which promotes the shirts, by junta No 2 Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan.

General Prawit, who oversees security affairs, said the movement was active in Laos, but also had a large network in the Kingdom where they sell T-shirts with the contentious emblem.

However, the junta’s security tsar also said the group had little impact as the movement was limited to social media, where it is allegedly promoting separatism and the overthrowing of the monarchy.

The Thai authorities plan to talk to their Lao counterparts to deport them, he said.

The security forces have been following the movement for a long time, Prawit said. Some of them already face lese majeste and sedition charges, he said.

“Now, three or four people have been arrested. And if we find anyone connected to this, we will arrest them all because this is an act of treason,” the deputy prime minister said. “The movement in Thailand is big. It’s led by Lung Sanamluang, or Chucheep Cheevasut.”

Prawit’s remark came after a female motorcycle-taxi rider was detained over her possession of a small number of black T-shirts bearing a the red and white flag.

The woman’s detention without charges, allowed by the junta order 3/2558, has sparked criticism since the incident came to light over the weekend. Critics said it was unreasonable to arrest people over a T-shirt that lacked a tangible message and had only a small emblem whose meaning was vague.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said yesterday that  the authorities had already issued an arrest warrant and were actively investigating the case.

“Is the term ‘Federation of Thai States,’ legal? Is it an act of treason?” Prayut said, responding to media questions yesterday regarding what human rights advocates described as arbitrary arrest and detention.

“Thailand is a single and indivisible Kingdom – that is what is stated in the Constitution.”

Prayut went on to say that the term “federation” suggested otherwise and was therefore against the law.

There was a lot going on behind the scenes, Prayut said, adding that the government was not bullying anyone.

Meanwhile, a political critic with legal expertise, who asked not to be named, said that arbitrary detention was a different story from security.

“I understand that they may have their intelligence. But then, they should press charges and be transparent. It’s not right to arrest and detain people in military barracks, interrogating with no lawyers present. It’s against their rights,” he said.

Pawinee Chumsri, a human-rights lawyer defending the arrested woman, said yesterday she had been released from military custody and handed over to police for prosecution.

The junta may charge her with sedition, or a violation of Article 116 of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison, Pawinee said. The legal team will try to apply for bail, the lawyer said.

Cherprang Areekul, “captain” of the popular girl pop band BNK 48, has come under attack by anti-junta political activists, who are accusing her of “serving the dictatorship” and “helping whitewash the junta”.

The 22-year-old is one of many showbiz celebrities recruited to host “Doen Na Prathet Thai” (Moving Thailand Forward). Yet, Cherprang appears to be the only one targeted by anti-junta activists.

Academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun, who is living overseas to avoid the lese-majeste charge, described Cherprang as a “detergent for dictatorship” and a “greenhorn in democracy”.

Rangsiman Rome, a student activist campaigning for an early election, said in his Facebook post that Cherprang has become a “mouthpiece for the dictatorship” and that this would become a “lifelong stigma” for her.

Cherprang’s supporters, however, hit back, saying she had the right to choose what to do and that these “cyber-bullies” must respect her judgement if they really believe in human rights. Some noted that Cherprang and other BNK 48 members had also joined events hosted by Pheu Thai Party’s

senior figure Sudarat Keyura-phan.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday that he felt sorry for Cherprang, as she had done nothing wrong.

“She is just acting like a government spokesperson, free of charge. Is that wrong? What’s wrong with doing good?” he asked. The premier said he suspected the critics were simply trying to “get a free ride” on Cherprang’s popularity by criticising her.

On Monday, Deputy PM and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said student activist Rangsiman should also respect other people’s rights.

At Government House last week, Cherprang and other showbiz celebrities met General Prayut, who honoured them for helping provide public services free of charge.

Cherprang’s boss, Jirat Bowornwattana, said yesterday that she was participating in the government show for public interest and had no political purposes.

The programme is broadcast every evening after the national anthem is played at 6pm. The audience rating was previously low, as the programme mainly focuses on the government’s projects. However, the ratings have risen after showbiz celebrities began participating.

A recorded episode of the show, in which Cherprang acts as guest host, will be broadcast this Saturday. This episode focuses on the government’s moves to reduce inequality in education.

As a political appointee, Buddhipong will be responsible for liaising between the government and the legislative assembly, regarding the issuance of new laws in accordance with the post-coup administration’s policies, said deputy government spokesman Colonel Athisit Chainuwat.

It remained unclear on Tuesday whether Buddhipong had left the Democrat Party.

He was a key figure in the now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), which led a street rally against the previous government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

In late 2013 the PDRC, led by veteran politician and former Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban, staged street protests that lasted more than six months and culminated in a military coup in May 2014.

Buddhipong is the latest politician to have been given a government job.

Earlier, a number of politicians and former MPs were appointed to positions in the government, as well as in the Bangkok city administration.

They include Palang Chon Party leader Sonthaya Khunplome, who became a PM adviser, and his brother Ittipol Khunplome, former mayor of Pattaya, who became an assistant minister attached to the PM’s Office.

Another former Democrat MP and a leader of the PDRC, Sakoltee Phattiyakul, was appointed a deputy Bangkok governor by the junta-nominated Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang.

Right advocates have condemned the Thai military for its arbitrary detention of a woman in military barracks without any formal legal charges for possessing T-shirts allegedly connected with separatists. Three other individuals are also reported to have been detained and charged in the same case.

Brad Adams, the Asia director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), said yesterday that the arbitrary use of arrests, combined with a contempt for human rights and the rule of law, was turning Thailand into a rogue state.

“The government should immediately remove Wannapha [the woman arrested] from military custody, give her access to a lawyer and release her unless she is credibly charged,” Adams said after the woman’s plight came to light.

His comment was in response to the recent detention of Wannapha, whose last name has been withheld, over a vague allegation that she was somehow connected to the so-called “Federation of Thai States” with evidence of some of her T-shirts bearing a small red-and-white emblem, which is reportedly the group’s flag. Wannapha is currently being detained at the 11th Military Circle in Bangkok.

The military has the authority to arrest and detain people for up to seven days without charge, as well as to interrogate them without access to lawyers or any guarantee about their treatment, according to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s Order No 3/2558.

Human rights lawyer Pawinee Chumsri told The Nation yesterday that the military had informed lawyers to prepare a bail application for Wannapha, although it remains unclear whether she would still face charges.

However, Pawinee feared the woman would be charged with instigation of an offence under Article 116 of the Thai Criminal Code.

Initially, her family insisted that Wannapha, who is a motorcycle-taxi rider, had never joined any political movement, according to the lawyer. “She’s just living hand to mouth,” said Pawinee.

In a related development, the lawyer said three other individuals had already been charged with instigation and detained in Bangkok Remand Prison in connection with possession of similar T-shirts. One of them had been freed on bail, she said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who is in charge of security matters, said yesterday that the T-shirt belonged to a political party and symbolised the hopes of separatists.

“I want to ask do we need to arrest [her] when that’s the case?” Prawit asked rhetorically.

Rights advocates have been lining up to condemn the woman’s detention as a violation of her rights.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) demanded the immediate release of Wannapha, claiming her arrest equated to the junta’s disrespect for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

“All these irregular incidents have become regular, which is unacceptable. The state is obliged to uphold people’s rights and freedoms,” said TLHR chairperson Yaowalak Anuphan. “If the state finds any act culpable, they should proceed to act according to what is provided for in the Criminal Procedure Code.”

What Tingsmith, president of the National Human Rights Commission, said yesterday that the agency would discuss the issue this week.

“We’ll see if the use of such a special law is reasonable during the lead-up to the election. The atmosphere should be more relaxed so as to reduce conflict,” he said.

The boys, ages 14 and nine, were able to visit their mum Wannapa – whose surname the Army is withholding – at the 11th Military Circle in the company of Angkhana Neelaphaijit of the National Human Rights Commission.

Military officers arrested Wannapa, 30, a motorcycle-taxi rider, in her rented room in Samut Prakan early last Thursday morning.

She had in her possession a black T-shirt bearing a small red-and-white emblem on the upper left front, a “flag” alleged to be the symbol of a group calling itself the “Federation of Thai States”.

The woman has been detained ever since at the same military base where critics of the junta were routinely taken for “attitude adjustment” in the weeks and months following the 2014 coup. She has not been formally charged with any offence.

The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre quoted Wannapa’s boyfriend as saying she had never attended any political gatherings or participated in any political activity.

The two sons were allowed to visit her for about an hour yesterday, with military officers present the whole time.

Angkhana said the boys’ guardian asked her to accompany them to meet their mother. She was told the boys were under stress because of their mother’s enforced absence.

“I would like to thank the concerned authorities for facilitating this visit,” Angkhana said.

She said the boys were more relaxed and hopeful afterwards.

Wannapa was being held in a room with a toilet and was under the watch of two female military officers, she said, adding that Wannapa told her sons she was fine and they mustn’t worry.

A military officer said a 2015 junta order gave military officers the power to detain suspects for questioning for up to seven days. Wannapa would be turned over to police for further legal action tomorrow or on Wednesday, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre said another woman, identified only as Surangkanang, was also arrested for allegedly distributing the offending T-shirts, but she was released after 13 hours.