After packing his belongings, Somchai told reporters that the past four years had been a difficult time, but he had already moved on as he was no longer a part of the EC.

Somchai said he had no plans to petition against any agencies although he said his sacking could be deemed a threat to independent agencies.

“I’m rather worried the PM might be getting wrong advice from legal experts, causing trouble for his administration.

“I love him and wish him success and [hope] he continues to be the PM to do good for the country. Everybody loves him,” said Somchai, doing an about-turn after having announced earlier that he would expose what was behind his dismissal.

Somchai said he might go abroad for a month to visit his child.

His application for the secretary-general post remained in the process, he said. But he might not be there for the interview if he was required to attend during the time he was away.

Somchai said he would welcome any invitations to join news talk shows. He remained keen on commenting, not limited to election issues.

Also, he might do Facebook live daily to comment on issues of relevance to the country.

Some 10 EC officials bade him goodbye yesterday while some colleagues gave him farewell bouquets.

Prayut on Tuesday dismissed Somchai using his special Article 44 powers, saying the move was at the request of a state agency.

The PM said the agency, related to legal affairs, had made the request because staff had felt that Somchai had caused “considerable confusion” about the date for a general election.

Somchai had reportedly said elections would be held in October this year.

Earlier, he issued one last challenge to the PM through his Facebook page, calling on the premier to examine the legal validity of advice from his legal affairs office in regard to the controversial election date.

If it was found that the PM had been wrong on the issue, he should “return justice to him”.

Somchai insisted that it was the EC that had the authority to determine the general election date, and that he had been right to say so.

If that were the case, the premier should also offer him a government legal-adviser’s post and dismiss his legal affairs office instead, he posted.

‘EC decides election date’

Somchai went on in the Facebook post, headlined “The PM’s misunderstanding”, quoting clauses from the Constitution.

Under Articles 102 and 103, it is clear that the EC would determine the election date, while the government would issue a decree paving the way for an election, he said.

This was to ensure that a checks and balances mechanism was in place and the EC was empowered to be truly independent, he said.

Article 104 of the charter also gives the EC the power to postpone the election if it were deemed necessary, he said.

The exercise of power to dismiss a member of an independent organisation would prompt other independent-organisation members to restrain themselves for fear that they would also face the same fate, he said.

He insisted in his post that his views on the election date were in line with other legislators, including Constitution Drafting Commission chairman Meechai Ruchupan.

Somchai insisted that he had not crossed the government’s line.

Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan, meanwhile, refused to comment about Somchai’s latest remarks. Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam also declined, simply saying “Thank you” for Somchai’s suggestions.

Having either organised or joined the event, the activists were accused of breaking the junta’s ban of political gatherings of five or more people.

The event – titled “Talk for freedom: the constitution and Isaan people” – was held at Khon Kaen University a week before the referendum on the then-charter draft took place nationwide in August.

Having been approved by a majority of voters, the draft charter was later promulgated as the current 2017 Constitution.

However, the build-up to the referendum took place amid the junta’s tight legal enforcement against different opinions on the charter draft.

Prominent activist Rangsiman Rome is the only one of the nine wanted for organising – as well as attending – a political gathering of five or more people, while the remaining eight were in court today to provide testimony in their defence for participating in such an assembly.

Rangsiman was taken to Khon Kaen Special Correctional Institution, before being released shortly after on Bt10,000 bail, in relation to the main charge levelled against him.

He insisted after his release that he was determined to lead another assembly in Bangkok on Saturday as part of a months-long weekly series of gatherings calling for the ruling junta to organise a general election without further delay.

Tomorrow’s gathering will start at 4pm, with participants marching to the Army headquarters to “send signals” to the military regime.

Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, or Pai Dao Din, who has been in jail since December 2016 for lese majeste for sharing a controversial BBC report online, was also among the accused activists who went to testify in court today.

As he stepped out of the prison van, his mother handed a bachelor’s degree certificate to Jatupat, who officially graduated from Khon Kaen University’s law faculty last December but was unable to join the commencement ceremony as he was behind bars.

Jatupat, his family, friends and Rangsiman took a photo opportunity together before going into court.

According to the nine activists’ lawyer Pawini Chumsri, Rangsiman’s case and those against the other eight could be merged into a single case, given the same grounds, if Rangsiman denied the main charge against him in his next testimony to the court, which is set for May.

The protests led to a number of casualties and deaths as the government tried to reclaim seized public areas from the red-shirt protesters.

The 24 leaders, including familiar faces such as Natthawut Saikua and Jatuporn Promphan, were later indicted on charges of terrorism, sedition and illegal assembly against the emergency decree, which carry penalties of up to 10 years in jail.

The court today allowed the lawyer of the 24 leaders to question the last plaintiff witness, an official at the Department of Special Investigation, who testified about clips of Natthawut allegedly provoking violence.

Winyat Chatmontri, Jatuporn’s lawyer, said that more than 100 defence witnesses would be brought to court to give testimony in support of the 24 accused.

The starting date for that phase of the court proceedings has not yet been set.

Somchai insisted that it was the Election Commission (EC) which had the authority to determine the general election date, and that he had been right to say so.

If that were the case, the premier should also offer him a government legal-adviser post and dismiss his legal affairs office instead, he said.

Prayut on Tuesday dismissed Somchai via his special Article 44 powers, citing that the move had been at the request of a state agency.

The PM said the agency, related to legal affairs, had made the request because staff had felt that Somchai had caused “considerable confusion” about the date for a general election.

In the Facebook post, headlined “The PM’s misunderstanding”, Somchai went on to quote clauses in the Constitution.

Under Articles 102 and 103, it is clear that the EC would determine the election date, while the government would issue a decree paving the way for an election, he stated.

This, he added, was to ensure that a check and balance was in place and empowered the EC to be truly independent.

Article 104 of the charter also gives the EC power to postpone the election date if it were deemed necessary, he said.

This new provision addresses a problem akin to the situation faced in 2014 when the government of the day was allowed to join the EC in determining the election date, but it then turned out that the government stood firm on its plan to hold the national poll, which was later declared void, Somchai pointed out.

The exercise of power to dismiss a member of an independent organisations like him, Somchai said, would prompt other independent-organisation members to restrain themselves for fear that they would also face the same fate.

He also insisted in his Facebook post that his views over the election date were in line with other legislators, including Constitution Drafting Commission chairman Meechai Ruchupan.

Somchai insisted that he had not crossed the government’s line.

Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan, meanwhile, refused on Friday to comment about Somchai’s latest remarks when asked by reporters for his reaction.

Speaking at a “Where is Thailand Heading To” panel, major political players Anutin Charnvirakul, Sudarat Kayurapan, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and Parit Wacharasindhu all agreed that democracy, and not a coup d’etat, was the key answer to the problems facing the country. But effective democracy would require participants to respect both rules and election results, they said.

The panel was hosted by veteran journalist Suthichai Yoon, founder of The Nation.

The panelists also took similar stances over the post-election legacy of the NCPO-backed Constitution. The Constitution must be undone to ensure that it does not paralyse future governments and prevent them from delivering meaningful policies, the politicians agreed.

The elected MPs must have a mandate giving them decision-making power above that of the junta-appointed senators and be able to push for substantial constitutional amendments, they said.

Anutin, leader of the medium-sized Bhumjaithai Party, called on fellow politicians to unite against the charter. If the 500 MPs could consolidate their agendas, they would have more power than the 250 senators to be appointed by the junta in a move widely viewed as an intent to counter democratic power and carry on the junta legacy.

The billionaire also urged all parties to respect the rules to prevent both future coups and loss of life in street demonstrations.

Sudarat, potentially the next leader of Pheu Thai Party, pledged to push for a referendum to amend all problematic clauses in the Constitution to eliminate the mechanisms trapping future governments, while leaving sections regarding the monarchy.

Sudarat said Pheu Thai could not by itself keep the country clear of military coups. Rather, everyone must lend a hand, she said in response to the criticism that the former coalition-leading party had not previously done enough to protect democracy.

Thanathorn, a new player and founder of the neophyte Future Forward party, meanwhile pledged he would do anything to prevent a coup from taking place again.

Keeping the military away from politics was the prime mission that drove him to politics, he said. No current politicians represented what he wanted to see in a government, so he had to leave his happy life and enter politics, he said. That move has already brought him several death threats in the less than a month since the party’s official launch, Thanathorn said.

Dubbed as the hope of the new politics, Thanathorn said he was ready to go to jail or even sacrifice his life for the democratic cause.

Parit, a nephew of former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, refused to discuss past events for which the Democrat Party has been accused by some as standing against democracy for refusing to accept election results and playing outside the rules.

While stressing he was not yet officially part of the party, Parit said future Democrats would learn to lose and respect the rules. Liberal democracy remained the one and only way for the country to go and the coup was not the answer, the 25-year-old emphasised.

With Future Forward gaining public attention as an injection of new blood and ideas in conflict-plagued Thai politics, Parit championed the idea of New Democrats – younger party members who would play substantial roles, too.

However, the party’s older values would not be forsaken, he said. Past experiences have resulted in lessons that could also contribute greatly to the country, Parit said.

Prayut, who also serves as the head of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said the agency had made the request because staff had felt that Somchai had caused “considerable confusion” about the election date.

He did not identify the agency in question, but said it related to legal affairs.

On Tuesday, Prayut issued an Article 44 order, which grants him near-absolute powers in his capacity as NCPO head, terminating Somchai’s term in office as a member of the Election Commission (EC).

“It was necessary for me to issue the order. In fact, I did not want to issue such an order against anyone. I ask the media not to play up this matter,” Prayut told reporters during his working tour in the northeastern Nong Bua Lamphu province.

Prayut said he had made it clear that the next general election would be held no later than February of next year, but that Somchai had still said the national vote could happen this October.

“What he said caused a lot of confusion, although he might have had a good intention,” the prime minister said. “But I don’t want to get involved anymore.”

Prayut also said Somchai’s dismissal did not mean he did not listen to other people’s opinions.

“I listen to useful comments. Don’t you see that I have listened for the past four years? And we are now going to have an election. But someone has caused a lot of confusion.”

Somchai appeared to have become even more critical of the government after his sacking.

In a Facebook message yesterday, he posted a verse from a poem written by the late rebellious author and historian Chit Phumisak. “Trying to close the sky with bare hands. Can you succeed? What a pity!” said the poem in Thai.

Earlier, just a day after he had been sacked, Somchai on Wednesday signalled he was now free to comment more broadly on politics – while he had been limited while serving as an election commissioner.

He told reporters as he left his workplace on Wednesday: “Now that I am no longer in the EC, I will be able to give more diversified and broader comments than before, when I could only talk about elections and political party activities.”

Meanwhile, another key government figure said yesterday Somchai had the right to comment publicly on politics as long as he did not break the law.

Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan was asked by reporters at the Defence Ministry in response to speculation that Somchai would become a new critic of the ruling NCPO after he was removed from office.

“Let him [Somchai] make his moves. But he must not do anything that goes against the law,” Prawit said.

“This is not my campaign project, no,” Prayut said. “We have initiated processes periodically, visiting every village and looking at what local people want.”

Thai Niyom Yangyuen refers to the government’s “sustainability Thainess” campaign, which has seen the premier meeting people across the country.

Prayut was on a one-day visit trip to the northeastern Nong Bua Lamphu province, where he attended a community forum on the nationwide Bt100-billion sustainability project.

By funding local economic development and agricultural reforms, Thai Niyom Yangyuen is also supposed to “promote Thai-style democracy”, enhance public understanding of the government’s work and encourage social harmony.

Initiated last month, the scheme has been hyped by the junta government, which ostensibly has less than a year in office before the next government is elected, according to Prayut’s most recent promise about the election timetable.

The scheme is viewed by critics as little more than a populist campaign to boost the government’s popularity, which has slumped after a series of corruption scandals, unsatisfying economic performance and the suppression of public political opinion.

Since the middle of last year, Prayut has also paid visits to local areas almost every other week, with the explanation that he wanted to keep in touch with local people and their livelihoods.

In almost every visit, Prayut has handed out land-use permits to villagers and approved multi-billion-baht projects for local administrators.

After repeatedly denying the visits had a political agneda, Prayut yesterday told Nong Bua Lamphu residents how his junta government could be a “model of democracy”.

“We need a government that visits every area and every province like this. A province with many problems should be taken care of a lot,” the premier said.

“How should Thai democracy be? Should it take care of everyone? MPs were often from many parties. If they belong to the government side, they would take care of their strongholds. The opposition side, meanwhile, is on the other hand,” he added. “How could we ensure, then, that everyone is treated evenly?”

The deputy PM was responding to the growing call for him to resign over the ongoing watch scandal, which began with a Cabinet group photo last December in which he was spotted wearing an expensive watch and a diamond ring. It was later learned that the items had not been reported to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, as required by the law.

Photos were compiled on social media and widely shared showing Prawit wearing more watches, up to 25, on various occasions.

Prawit said the issue needs to wait for the NACC’s ruling. He has clarified the issue following the legal procedures required, he added.

Social advocate Ticha Nanakorn on Wednesday submitted a petition to NACC president Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit urging him to expedite the probe.

Ticha on January 31 started a campaign on Change.org which has garnered over 80,000 petitioners calling on Prawit to resign.

Ticha said that even though Prawit had last week submitted to the NACC a fourth written explanation about the origin of the watches, it remained unclear whether the agency would summon him for a meeting or take any other action.

“Society is suspicious about the NACC’s action in this case,” she said.

She also questioned why the NACC has not disclosed any detail about the case. People want to know how Prawit obtained the watches and why he was repeatedly allowed to fend off NACC calls for clarification, she said.

On Tuesday, the NACC panel in charge of the matter said it would submit its preliminary findings to the NACC board next week.

NACC secretary-general Worawit Sukboon said yesterday the panel had received a 38-page letter detailing the origins of the 25 expensive watches that Prawit has been seen wearing on various occasions.

The deputy PM has never declared any of them as personal financial assets, as required by law.