The group stood firm on its stance that the next election must be held this year, as promised earlier by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, its leader Rangsiman Rome said during a demonstration at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus.

Before the election, the junta – the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) – must change its role as an administering government to that of a caretaker only to facilitate the holding of an election, the activist said.

And lastly, the Army should stop supporting the NCPO’s political rule, he added.

The protest yesterday was the sixth in a series against the coup-installed regime, calling for a general election which was last held in the country in 2011. In February 2014, the Pheu Thai-led government had called an election that was aborted by anti-government rallies.

The current pro-election protest began in late January following the release of the organic law governing the election of MPs.

The junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly laid out in the law that its enforcement be put off by three months after promulgation, naturally delaying the election by the same amount of time. The move contradicted a statement by Prayut, who is also the NCPO leader, late last year that the next election would be held in November.

The activities to demand an election this year are expected to be intense this month, as May 22 marks the fourth anniversary of the coup.

Yesterday, more than 400 people took part in the peaceful demonstration, packing the venue – the Pridi Banomyong Park – inside the TU campus. Some 600 security officers reportedly were deployed to observe and keep a record of the activity.

Rangsiman said yesterday that Prayut had repeatedly failed to keep his promises about holding the election.

The protesters had no choice but to come out and voice their demands because there was no guarantee that the election would take place in February next year as promised by the government, he said. Despite the continuous attempt by the group to apply pressure on the junta, political critic and activist Ekachai Chainuvati admitted it was difficult for the demonstration to be successful.

“We cannot expect hundreds of thousands or millions of people to come out on May 22 this year, considering the strict law enforcement on public assembly through use of the junta order,” he said.

“So, it would not be as successful as the People’s Democratic Reform Committee’s movement before the coup and not as violent as the Black May riots of 1992.”

He predicted a scenario of the activists getting arrested for the planned demonstration.

The party’s co-founders, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, said on Friday that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) had given them permission for the meeting, which will be held at Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus.

Known for its stance against the “undemocratic regime”, the party had sent an application to the NCPO to not only allow them to hold the meeting but also to lift all bans that hinder political activities for a healthy atmosphere ahead of the election.

While the NCPO still imposes a ban on political gatherings of five or more people, new parties can seek the NCPO’s permission to hold their first meeting to frame party regulations and select board members, according to the NCPO Order No 53/2017.

The permission is given on a case-by-case basis.

New systems introduced in the 2017 charter, such as the primary voting system required to select MP candidates, would mean that all parties have to step up to arrange sufficient number of members to enable themselves to compete in constituencies.

They also will likely face challenges for political campaigning as the ruling junta, which strictly controlled the 2016 referendum on the charter draft, would be in charge when the election is held.

Thanathorn and Piyabutr were speaking at a Facebook Live event on Friday at 8.30pm, a time that interestingly coincided with PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s weekly talk show.

In a veiled dig at Prayut’s “Returning Happiness to People in the Country” programme as it was previously called, the two Future Party leaders called their event “Thanathorn-Piyabutr return Friday to the People”.

“Those politicians and financiers who wish to support the NCPO and the undemocratic regime should show their stance openly. Their names should also be well recorded. This should be made politically clear for the people to decide,” Thanathorn said.

Piyabutr added that in the democratic system, the MPs are directly elected by the people to exercise powers on their behalf and it would be “a shame” for these MPs to support such a regime.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he had no plan to meet with any key politicians during his trip although he would not oppose their presence to welcome him.

“There is nothing special. I am not going to strike a deal with anyone. I don’t want to meet politicians,” Prayut told reporters.

“But I don’t want to prohibit politicians from welcoming me either. If you want to, do it. Do you think I can bar people from greeting me?” he added.

General Prayut, who also heads the ruling junta National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said he had not told politicians in the region to meet or welcome him.

Key government figures, including the PM and his deputies Somkid Jatusripitak and General Prawit Wongsuwon, have dismissed allegations by critics and major political parties that people in power are “sucking out” former MPs from those parties to a new party being formed to support Prayut’s return as head of government after the next election.

They claimed that those politicians had simply approached them, and that it was not the other way around.

Prayut has not ruled out returning to power. During his past working visits to different regions, he has often met politicians who are influential in those areas and have a number of former MPs in their factions or parties. Some politicians have become political appointees and their areas have been injected with state funds – moves viewed as “rewards” for those opting to join his future alliance.

General Prayut and his Cabinet members are expected to meet with many local residents during their two-day trip to four northeastern provinces starting next Monday.

A mobile weekly Cabinet meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday in Buri Ram during the trip to the lower northeastern region that also covers Nakhon Ratchasima, Surin and Chaiyaphum provinces.

On Monday afternoon, the prime minister is scheduled to meet local residents at the 32,600-seat Chang Arena football stadium in Buri Ram, a major landmark and the home of Thai Premier League champions Buriram United Football Club. The team is run by former veteran politician Newin Chidchob, who has maintained his political influence, particularly among politicians of the Bhum Jai Thai Party.

In October, the stadium will host the PTT Thailand Grand Prix, the country’s first “MotoGP” world-class motorcycle racing event financed by the state-owned petroleum giant.

As Buri Ram is a traditional Bhum Jai Thai stronghold, the party’s leader Anutin Charnvirakul has said he and Newin would welcome the prime minister, who would meet some 30,000 people at the stadium.

However, Anutin denied speculation that his party and the ruling junta would make a deal during the PM’s visit. He was afraid of criticism from political rivals and other parties, Anutin said. Moreover, it would be too soon to make any deal long before the election, he added.

Anutin said he did not think Prayut wanted to talk with politicians during the trip either. “He is being watched even more than us. If he just disappears for five seconds, there will be so much speculation,” the politician said. General Prayut is scheduled to chair the mobile Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning at Rajabhat Buriram University, where he will also preside over a meeting on social and economic development in the four lower northeastern provinces.

The PM will inspect the Buri Ram Airport later on Tuesday before returning to Bangkok the same evening, according to his itinerary.

Meanwhile, Nakhon Ratchasima authorities are set to request the Cabinet next week grant a budget for road expansion in preparation for a high-speed train project linking Bangkok and the province, Governor Vichien Chantaranothai said yesterday.

He said his province also would ask the Cabinet for funding for other projects involving agriculture, trade and investment, quality of life, and tourism.

In a related development, Prayut yesterday said he had instructed the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to allow politicians and political party representatives to attend a new course on leaders of change, with the focus on reform, national strategy and reconciliation.

The course normally is intended for civil servants and local administrative organisations.

“Political parties should send their representatives to join the training for knowledge about the bureaucracy. In the future, the political, bureaucratic and civil sectors will have to work together no matter who forms the government,” Prayut said.

The prime minister instructed the CSC to hold the course as soon as possible, preferably a few months before the next election, according to Methini Thepmanee, the agency’s secretary-general.

“Tell them there must be peace in society if they want an election,” Prayut said. “Whether the election will happen or not isn’t up to me. It’s up to them. And I have already said it will happen in 2019. Stop this already. I’m so tired.”

The pro-election group led by young activists, including Rangsiman Rome and Sirawith Seritiwat, has planned to protest against the prolonged rule of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and called for the holding of an election within this year.

Rangsiman said that the demonstration would take place at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan Campus from 4pm onwards. They would not march outside the campus, he said.

Besides the election demand, the leader said the group stood firm in its stance that the NCPO be a caretaker government that run the country only up to the election and that the Army must stop supporting the junta.

As May 22nd will mark the fourth anniversary of the coup, Rangsiman said the group would also line up activities and movements for this month.

The protest today is part of a series of rallies since late January. The series is in response to the amendment of the organic law governing the MP election that could delay the election by three months.

Rangsiman also said yesterday that the recent submission of the organic law governing the Senate could further delay the poll currently scheduled for February next year, too.

Authorities, meanwhile, said they were prepared for the protest and warned the protesters not to break the law.

Deputy police chief General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said yesterday the demonstration taking place inside a university, a private estate, would not violate the political assembly law.

But whether it was an infringement of the junta ban on political assembly of five people would be decided by the Army, he said.

However, officers had been prepared for any situation that could happen, the deputy police chief said.

If the protesters marched outside the campus or violated any laws, legal consequences would follow, he said.

Those who already had a police record or an arrest warrant would be arrested if they committed any crime today, Srivara added.

Officers and plainclothes officers would be deployed, he said.

They would keep watch on any interference by a third party that could provoke violence, he said.

“According to the Royal Institute Dictionary of New Words, 2nd book, Grean is defined to describe aggressive, agitating and unreasonable people,” the EC acting secretary-general and party registrar Charungwit Phumma explained in a letter to Sombat.

“Naming a party as ‘Grean Party’, meanwhile, could bring confusion to society as the meaning could be inappropriate and disturb people’s order or morality,” the letter said, adding the naming could violate the organic law on political party and the EC regulation on political party.

The EC told Sombat to fix the name to be “accurate with appropriate meaning” and resubmit within 15 days.

Failure to do so would mean Sombat’s party would not be registered, it warned.

Sombat, who shared photos of the two-page letter on his Facebook status, said on the same post that he plans to either go to the EC headquarters to fix the name or to file an objection petition with the Administrative Court.

According to Article 18 of the political party organic law, a party’s name, abbreviation and logo must not object to or change the constitutional monarchy regime, disturb people’s order or morality, tend to create fractions among people of the country and influence or obstruct the MPs’ independent operation.

Positioned as an alternative party, the Grean Party intended to “disrupt any party policies” by making suggestions with focus on benefits of social minorities, which Sombat thinks has been overlooked by most of parties at the national level.

While Thaksin Shinawatra told the Japanese media earlier that Pheu Thai would gain a landslide electoral victory, the party would reportedly have to reset its strategy following the junta’s absorbance of politicians from various blocs.

The party also faces a plunging number of members following the junta’s requirements for them to verify their memberships within April only.

According to a source from the security agency, Thaksin’s appearance to the party members is also expected to yield marketing benefits to the party and boost trust.

Visiting Pheu Thai figures would include Yingluck Shinawatra’s ex-deputy Chalerm Yubanrung, ex-minister Worawat Auapinyakul and the party’s acting deputy leader Kirang Kantinan, according to the party source.

“The junta’s attraction to politicians is what they might be discussing,” said ex-Pheu Thai MP Samart Kaewmeechai. “They will also be seeking for the new party’s leader though it should not be urgent.”

Samart said possible candidates, ex-ministers Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan and Chadchart Sittipunt, could all lead the party.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, meanwhile, said that ex-MPs attending the meeting would not break the law given that the junta’s order, which banned certain groups from travelling outside Thailand, was already revoked.

However, Election Commission president Somchai Somcharoen warned that allowing outsiders, who are neither on the party’s board nor members, to guide the party would result in it being dissolved and candidates being barred from contesting the election.

The TJA demand came as it commemorated World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated worldwide on May 3, to reiterate the cause of press freedom and protection of journalists.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 46 journalists were killed while on duty last year. This year, 10 journalists in North and South America, 22 in Asia and one in Europe have been killed when reporting in a danger zone or were killed by influential figures, according to the International News Safety Institute.

Thailand saw an improvement in its ranking on the press freedom index, from 142 last year to 140 this year, according to Reporters without Borders’ 2018 World Press Freedom Index. Myanmar was the best-ranked among mainland Asean countries at 137. Thailand was followed by Cambodia (142), Malaysia (145), Laos (170) and Vietnam (175).

Despite the positive signs, however, the ruling junta continues to impose laws and regulations that obstruct freedom of press and expression. There is also an attempt by the junta-appointed bodies to pass a law that would allow state authority in regulating the media, many experts said. “The NCPO-backed government needs to be vigilant while issuing laws that curb freedom of press and people,” said TJA president Pramed Lekpetch.

“They should also revoke the NCPO orders that limit such freedoms so that the media can operate in line with their constitutional role ahead of the election as per the road map,” he said. While Thailand has been ruled under the 2017 Constitution since last April, the NCPO maintains absolute control, with the power to issue decrees and orders that can overrule any law, and even the Constitution.

While at least four articles in the Constitution endorse freedom of press and expression, the authorities have still prosecuted or suspended media workers, many of whom had criticised the alleged irregularities of the junta.

Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen, a lawyer from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, said that such use of absolute power strangles the rule of law not only during the NCPO reign but would also tend to create long-term effects, including those against press freedom.

“Controls may loosen when the next elected government takes the reins, but many mechanisms designed by the current ruling government would have a long-term impact, such as the so-called national strategy that will last for at least another 20 years,” Poonsuk said. He was referring to the law that obligates future governments to follow the strategy failing which they would be punished.

The NCPO had also put “prisoners of conscience” before the military court where they had limited ability to appeal or fight the case. They also brought civilians and even journalists to military camp for the so-called “attitude adjustment” sessions, she said.

The military-dominated National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, during the junta rule, has punished the broadcast media 52 times so far, mostly targeting media belonging to political opponents of the ruling junta, she added.

Thitirat Thipsamritkul, a law lecturer from Thammasat University, said that efficient laws on digital and online security should focus on structural protection rather than disseminated content.

“If the law focuses on security in terms of content, it can be used with a different intention,” Thitirat said. “This has happened with the previous computer crime bill, which was widely used for defamation cases instead of cybercrimes as originally intended.”

She viewed that such a law should be designed to facilitate press freedom by ensuring a security structure, such as privacy protection, rather than suppressing them.

Of the five, two are former provincial governors, two are department directors, and one is a university professor. All are said to have taken a low profile politically and are making their political debuts as applicants for the Election Commission (EC) member positions.

The successful candidates who made the cut yesterday are: Suntud Sirianuntapiboon, an environmental technology professor from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi; Somchai Charnnarongkul, former director of the Cooperative Promotion Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives; Ittiporn Boonpracong, former director of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; former Buri Ram governor Peerasak Hinmuangkao; and former Saraburi governor Tawatchai Terdphaothai.

The finalists were selected from 24 applicants who had passed the first round of qualification checks. They yesterday underwent an interview and outlined their visions as EC members. Thirty-three people had applied for the positions.

Seven vacant EC member seats need to filled after the new organic law governing the agency dismissed all previous commissioners. The selection committee selected five candidates for the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to approve while a general meeting of Supreme Court judges selected two others, according to the law.

The selection was a second attempt after the NLA turned down all of the finalist candidates in February. The assembly had been vague as to why they rejected the candidates, but some sources said it had been over the controversial selection of two candidates from among the Supreme Court judges. The rejection also stirred up much controversy. Critics said it was another tactic to try to put off the next election which the Premier has promised will be held by next February. But authorities remained firm that the caretaker election commissioners could perform the task if needed and that the election road map was unaffected.

Last week, a general meeting of the Supreme Court attended by its 176 judges selected their senior colleagues Chatchai Chanpraisri and Pakorn Mahannop as the court’s EC candidates, the same candidates rejected by the assembly in February.

Somkid, who heads the government’s economic team, repeated an earlier denial by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that there was any such attempt on the government’s side.

“But why do people want to move to a new house? Is it because they are unhappy living in the present house? You need to improve your home so that Thai people can place their hope on it,” he said, likening a political party to a house.

The deputy premier described as “nonsense” the allegation by certain existing parties that their former MPs were being “sucked out” into the pro-Prayut party.

He said wooing as many former MPs as possible in a bid to gain power was a “very old way of thinking”. He added, “They should come up with new ideas and think much more about the future.”

However, Somkid said he did not want to counter politicians. “I know everyone. We are friends. Someday in the future we may have to work together. So, it’s better to spend your time on good things.”

According to media speculation, the party in question is in the making, under the leadership of Somkid’s close aides in the Cabinet – Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana and Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong.

Somkid yesterday denied planning to set up a new party. “I just said that I support General Prayut to continue his work if he wants to. It depends on the political parties if they will support him or not,” Somkid added.

He called on political parties to work together and “overcome all conflicts for the sake of the country”.

The deputy PM said given the current situation, there was a need for continuity to drive the country forward. “Also, the country’s peace is necessary. The government has done a good job. It’s okay if anyone else can do it better. That depends on voters.”

“Don’t ask me now about an inside or outside prime minister. Spare me. In case of emergency, let my party be the escapeway,” Anutin stressed in an interview with The Nation.

The remark came amid recent movements by the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) that show signs of political ambition.

As the election draws near, it is speculated that a pro-junta party will be set up to support General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s bid for premiership. The theory gained credence after the Cabinet appointed a veteran politician as Prayut’s political adviser two weeks ago.

Calling it a “headhunting phenomenon”, analysts said the general is building his base of alliances comprising old-face politicians to support his return after the next election alongside junta-appointed senators.

Anutin’s Bhum Jai Thai Party has subsequently been put in the spotlight. Because it is traditionally the third-placed party after Pheu Thai and the Democrats, political observers believe it should have enough seats to help realise the junta’s aspirations.

Speculation has been fuelled by the fact that a mobile Cabinet meeting is set to take place in Buri Ram province, Bhum Jai Thai’s stronghold, next week. Observers right now are all ears about whether and how the junta and Anutin’s faction will make a deal.

But Anutin yesterday denied that this excursion was the negotiating table. “If they want to make a deal, they can do it right here or anywhere, any time at all. It doesn’t have to be in Buri Ram,” he said.

Noting that everyone is saying Prayut is now a “vacuum cleaner”, sucking up former MPs to join his new party, the Bhum Jai Thai leader said that this machine just did not work in his party. Even if it did, it would only suck out someone that the party did not want or someone that just wouldn’t be good for Prayut’s party anyway, he said.

“I don’t care about the amateurs. I only want the pros,” he said. “And the pros just don’t go around shifting between parties. They have their places in their parties and they stay. The amateurs, meanwhile, keep going around. But do they have any credibility?”

Considering the new voting method that only allows voters to cast a single ballot to give their vote to both the candidate and the party, major parties are likely to be at a disadvantage. The rise of medium-sized parties like Bhum Jai Thai is therefore on the cards. Some critics even say it is possible that Anutin could be the next prime minister – a middleman who takes the job after the major parties and MPs fail to reach agreement. But Anutin said no to that without hesitation. 

“This is the third-place party. Me, the prime minister? Really?” he said. “I’m telling you, it has to be respectable. I’m not going to be anyone’s puppet. The middleman idea is just not possible in this age.”

However, Anutin said he is not taking sides either – not now.

“Everything depends on the election. If I say something now, those favouring the military won’t choose me. Likewise, if I say I’m with the military, those preferring democracy won’t vote for me. That’s just going to be bad.” He reiterated the election result is the key.

“What do you want me to say now? I can’t. What if I win 250 seats? Do I have to share that with anyone? No, I’ll keep it all to myself. And if I have five seats, they won’t like to sit with me either. That’s a fact.

“Just respect the election result. This time, there is no excuse not to. No parties have had state power in the past four years. You cannot say they won because they exploited that power,” Anutin said.

“Bhum Jai Thai, too, we will be straightforward. We will do our best. We will respect the law. And if we lose, we accept that we just suck.”