Wissanu, who is in charge of the government’s legal affairs, said the NBTC needed to amend the law regulating its affairs and that the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) should suggest any issues regarding the matter.

“I am considering suggesting that the Cabinet instruct the NBTC” to amend the relevant law, he said.

The deputy premier said one problem involved a clause about the qualifications of NBTC member candidates that he described as “perhaps unclear”. Also, he added, the rules should be made clear that every candidate needs to get support from the majority of selection committee members to get nominated.

Last week, the NLA voted to reject all 14 final candidates to fill the seats of seven NBTC members. The assembly’s scrutinising committee found more than half of the candidates were stakeholders in businesses involved in the areas regulated by the commission, thereby disqualifying them from taking the post.

The law requires that the next selection process start from the beginning and be complete within 30 days.

Wissanu said on Friday the short period of time allowed by law made it necessary for the ruling junta – the National Council for Peace and Order – to issue an order on Tuesday to halt the process of selecting new NBTC members.

He added that selection committee members had complained they had insufficient time to carefully check the qualifications of short-listed candidates. “They said the NLA’s scrutinising committee had more time for background checks on the candidates,” Wissanu said.

The six-year term of the current NBTC members ended in October last year but the law regulating the agency allows them to continue in the same capacity until they are replaced by new members.

Rangsiman Rome, a leading figure in the Pro-Election People Group, said that the next election was likely to be postponed from February next year after the Constitutional Court accepted a petition seeking a verdict on the constitutionality of certain organic laws. “Nobody knows when the election will take place. It is unlikely to be held soon. People who want to vote will still go ahead with our plan and we are ready to hold our big rally in mid-May,” Rangsiman said.

“We want to see a political atmosphere that is free and fair. People should be allowed to make decisions for themselves. There should be no censorship or control on political parties. This is our proposal,” the 25-year-old graduate student added.Following mounting domestic and international pressure, junta leader General Prayut Chan-o-cha in February announced that the next election would take place “no later than” February 2019.

Rangsiman, who also leads the Democracy Restoration Group, is among more than 40 activists charged with committing sedition, violating a junta ban on political gatherings of five or more people, and breaking the law against public assembly. The charges are punishable by imprisonment of up to seven years. The activists in early February held a street protest near the Democracy Monument that drew a large crowd. The young activist went to the Criminal Court yesterday to hear the indictment and give his testimony regarding the case against him and other protest leaders. He was the only defendant in the case to be placed in detention, but later requested and got bail for Bt50,000, with no conditions set.

He told reporters at the court that the activists charged in the case believed they had done nothing wrong.

“We did what we did with honest intent. We do not believe that it is an offence to call for an election. If it is illegal to call for an election, I wonder if there will be an election again in Thailand,” Rangsiman said. In a Facebook post, the activist wrote: “After reading the indictment, I wonder what wrongdoing I did.”

Rangsiman Rome, a leading figure in the so-called Pro-Election People Group, said that the next election was likely to be postponed from February next year after the Constitutional Court accepted a petition seeking a verdict on the constitutionality of certain organic laws.

“Nobody knows when the election will take place. It is unlikely to be held soon.People who want to vote will still go ahead with our plan and we are ready to hold our big rally in mid-May,” Rangsiman said.

“We want to see a political atmosphere that is free and fair. People should be allowed to make decisions for themselves. There should be no censorship or control on political parties. This is our proposal,” the 25-year-old graduate student added.

Following mounting domestic and international pressure, junta leader General Prayut Chan-o-cha in February announced that the next election would take place “no later than” February 2019.

Rangsiman, who also leads the Democracy Restoration Group, is among more than 40 activists charged with committing sedition, violating a junta ban on political gatherings of five or more people, and breaking the law against public assembly. The charges are punishable by imprisonment of up to seven years. The activists in early February held a street protest near the Democracy Monument that drew a large crowd.

The young activist went to the Criminal Court on Friday to hear the prosecution’s indictment and give his testimony regarding the case against him and other protest leaders. He was the only defendant in the case to be placed in detention, but later requested and received temporary release on Bt50,000 bail, with no conditions set.

He told reporters at the court that the activists charged in the case believed they did not do anything wrong.

“We did what we did with honest intent. We do not believe that it is an offence to call for an election. If it is illegal to call for an election, I wonder if there will be an election again in Thailand,” Rangsiman said.

In a Facebook post, the activist wrote: “After reading the indictment, I wonder what wrongdoing I did.”

Before the court on Friday, Rangsiman denied all the charges filed against him. The court scheduled June 18 for the next hearing.

AMID apparent efforts by the junta and its backers to ensure the return of Prayut Chan-o-cha as prime minister after the election, the military yesterday pledged its full support to the ruling junta and its leaders.

Supreme Commander Thanchaiyan Srisuwan yesterday admitted that the military remained a tool of the government even though Prayut had shown signs of political ambition. He said to support the government was the military’s central role.

The military support came after a series of political moves from junta chief Prayut to consolidate power in preparation for the election, which is planned for next February.

The junta leader last week appointed an influential politician as his political adviser.

He is also travelling upcountry to attend a mobile Cabinet session but there has been speculation that he will meet other popular politicians, wooing them for support.Regardless of Prayut’s political machinations, the supreme commander reiterated that the military stood by the government and its leader.

Under the military-sponsored charter, Prayut can return to the top government job after the election if 376 out of 750 parliamentarians vote for him even if he does not lead any political party. Prayut has in his pocket 250 senators handpicked by the junta’s committee. The general needs 126 votes from the House of Representatives, where elected politicians sit.

Thanchaiyan did not rule out the possibility of military leaders also joining the pro-junta party that could be set up to back Prayut.

However, personally, the general said he might not be involved. His role remains only within the National Legislative Assembly of which he is a member.

In response to a question about the military being politically non-partisan, Thanchaiyan said the Armed Forces support the government’s policies. Normally, the framework was laid out long before and the Army followed it, he added.

Asked if the military would become a tool in Prayut’s political campaign, the supreme commander said the military did what it did regardless of people’s perceptions.

Wanwichit Boonprong, a military and security affairs expert from Rangsit University, said the military’s support for the military-led government was not unexpected.

The relationship between the military and the junta government, even after the next election, was well secured not only by the fraternal ties among military personnel but also by mutual interest, he said.

‘Strong comradeship’

“The military network now has close ties with key junta leaders like Prayut and his deputy Prawit Wongsuwan,” he said. “They would continue to help secure the junta, overseeing dissent. On the other hand, the junta will also reward them with a liberal budget and smooth and continuous implementation of policies.”

That is one of the reasons why the military prefers a military-led government to a civilian one, Wanwichit explained.

They trust generals-turned-politicians better than they do ordinary politicians when it comes to shuffling positions, he said. This was due to their strong comradeship, he added.

After the next election, although the junta leaders may lose their absolute power provided by Article 44 and may seem distant from the Army, the expert said he believed Prayut and Prawit would continue to be powerful and have the potential to retain power. They would have the support of both the military and politicians, he said.

“They will be protected by the senators they appoint and they have politicians they are wooing now,” he said. “And these figures also have to yield to the Army’s power.Politicians don’t want to have problems with the military. They prefer to stay on the same side. And all this makes Prayut powerful,” the expert said.

This scenario was unlike the previous coup led by Sonthi Boonyaratglin in 2006, he said.

Sonthi toppled the elected civilian government of Thaksin Shinawatra, formed a party when he stepped down more than a year later to enter the electoral fray, which portrayed a power-hungry image, he said. In Prayut’s case, he has politicians and technocrats as a cushion, he said.

In the meeting with Grady, Prawit said Thailand was ready to cooperate with the US on security matters for mutual benefit as well as using the US experience to improve security in Thailand.

Prawit also met his US counterpart, Defence Secretary James Mattis, to discuss bilateral defence relations and regional security issues, Pentagon chief spokesperson Dana White said.

Mattis highlighted the priority the US National Defence Strategy places on working with allies and partners to advance common interests and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

“Secretary Mattis expressed confidence that the future for Thai people will be positive as they regain their democratic footing,” White said. The two ministers expressed support for enhancing maritime security cooperation, multilateral exercises such as Cobra Gold, and building interoperability through a strong defence trade relationship, she said.

Prawit also led the Thai delegation to meet with National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office to exchange views on intelligence information exchange, according to Defence Ministry spokesman Kongchep Tantrawanich.

Intelligence information on maritime security was important for cooperation to secure sea routes in the region and in the world, he said and noted that the US thanked the Thai military for its role in anti-piracy in the Gulf of Aden, he said.

The Thai delegation also briefed the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons regarding progress of the Thai government’s efforts to combat human trafficking.

Thailand was ranked in the Tier 2 Watch List last year as the authorities did not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.

The delegation also met with influential NGOs to convince them that the government was taking steps to manage the millions of migrant workers from neighbouring countries, Kongchep said.

A general meeting attended by 176 Supreme Court judges at its main auditorium voted to select the court’s chief justice, Chatchai Chanpraisri, and judge Pakorn Mahannop as the court’s nominations.

The court will submit its two nominations to the NLA to decide whether to endorse them to be among seven new election commissioners. In addition to Chatchai, 64, and Pakorn, 62, three other senior judges also contested to be the court’s candidates.

In February, the NLA voted down both Chatchai and Pakorn as well as five other candidates nominated to become new members of the EC.

The seven candidates were selected by a screening committee from among 41 names. None of them obtained the required support from at least half of the NLA members. The NLA informed the Supreme Court about the decision not to endorse all seven nominations. The court therefore needed to convene a general meeting to select its two candidates.

Observers noted that the Supreme Court’s nominees were rejected because their election by the judges could not be regarded as “open”, as required by law. Observers said the NLA had decided to reject all the candidates in order not to embarrass the court.

Before the round of voting yesterday, the court altered its regulations to make the election “open”, according to a source. The voters had to put an “X” next to their favoured candidates on the ballot paper.

“I didn’t recognise this mascot at first,” said Ailada Akkrajan, a 24-year-old university student, after she ran into the pink-clad mascot.

And that means that the mascot was probably not an effective way to create reconciliation, said Ailanda.

She urged the Defence Ministry to consider organising activities that people could do together as a means to promote harmony.

“And even if it prefers using the mascot, I think the mascot should stick out its pinky.That’s the easy way for Thais to recognise it’s about reconciling,” she said.

Though Ailada may not quite be impressed, the reconciliation-promotion team from the Defence Ministry has high hopes for the life-sized doll.

“We may not be able to create reconciliation in every person, but we want people to see us as a sign for reconciliation,” said the brand ambassador for Nong Kiew Koi, who dresses just like the mascot.

The Defence Ministry’s assistant spokesman, Colonel Wanchana Sawatdee, who is widely known for portraying King Naresuan in a movie, joined Nong Kiew Koi on Thursday.

He drew crowds and handed out copies of a social contract that the junta has been promoting for national reconciliation.

“I am here in the hope of creating a harmonious environment for the people who come around the area and to introduce Nong Kiew Koi to people,” Wanchana said.

According to him, the National Council for Peace and Order in fact has already completed the first phase of national reconciliation.

“It’s about reigning in turmoil in the country, which has finally faded away,” he said.

Wanchana said the second phase was about national reforms, and the third phase was about the implementation of the country’s national strategy.

Ministry spokesman Lt-General Kongcheep Trantrawanich said Nong Kiew Koi would become the “reconciliation ambassador” to promote love and unity among Thais and create awareness and understanding of the social contract.

A general meeting attended by 176 Supreme Court judges at its main auditorium voted to select the court’s chief justice Chatchai Chanpraisri and judge Pakorn Mahannop as the court’s nominations. The court will then submit its two nominations to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to decide whether to endorse them to be among a new set of seven election commissioners.

In addition to Chatchai, 64, and Pakorn, 62, three other senior judges also contested to become the court’s candidates.

In February, the NLA voted down both Chatchai and Pakorn as well as five other candidates nominated to become new members of the EC.

The seven candidates were selected by a screening committee from 41 names. None of them obtained the required support from at least half of the NLA members.

The NLA informed the Supreme Court about the decision not to endorse all seven nominations. The court therefore needed to convene a general meeting to select its two candidates.

Observers noted that the Supreme Court’s candidates were rejected because their election by the judges could not be regarded as being done “openly”, as required by law.

Observers said the NLA had decided to reject all the candidates in order not to embarrass the court.

Before the next round of voting on Thursday, the court altered its regulations to make the election “open”, according to a source. The voters had to put an “X” next to their favoured candidates on the ballot paper.