The DRG is campaigning for an end to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the turning of the junta government into an acting administration in the run-up to the general election.

These changes, the group argues, should ensure that the election is not delayed further and that the NCPO will not be able to prolong its hold on power.

In 2016, the government organised a nationwide referendum on a junta-written charter draft and imposed strict rules during the campaign period ahead of the national vote, disabling different opinions from speaking up against the draft.

Some of the activists who now form the DRG were arrested at that time for allegedly breaking the referendum law.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday brushed aside such a call from the DRG, reasoning that the Constitution’s Article 265 stipulates that the NCPO stay in power until the new government after the next election is in place.

The DRG has proposed that a possible solution is to amend Article 265.

“The NCPO often cites laws in ways advantaging themselves, saying that those laws have to be strictly followed,” the group said in a Facebook post.

“In fact, the 2017 charter was wholly written by the NCPO. It was amended even after approval in the referendum,” the DRG continued. “So, why can’t the charter be amended to pave the way for faster dissolution of the NCPO?”

“There is no law that prohibits him from doing so. But he can’t contest in [the next] election,” Wissanu said.

He referred to the 2017 Constitution’s provisional clause, which requires members of the Cabinet and the National Legislative Assembly to resign within 90 days of the charter’s coming into force if they want to stand as MP candidates in the next general election.

Given that Prayut did not resign after the Constitution came into effect last April, he is deemed unable to become an MP candidate in the next national election.

There has been speculation that the military-led government’s premier might join or advise a political party, which could pave the way for him to continue a post-election premiership by becoming an outsider PM.

Unlike previous charters, the current one does not require a prime-minister candidate to be an MP of a party.

Instead, it paves the way for an outsider to become a candidate via MPs’ nomination and votes from both the House of Representatives and the junta-handpicked Senate.

The greatest focus is currently on Palang Pracha Rath, a new party which was registered earlier this month with a similar name to the government’s flagship economic scheme, “Pracha Rath”.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda said briefly on Tuesday that it would be Prayut’s personal decision as to whether he would become such an adviser.

As Sudarat seems to be increasingly gaining support from more party colleagues from the Northeast, some elements in Pheu Thai have disputed views she has expressed about the party.

Young Pheu Thai politician Pachara Nariphathaphan on Tuesday voiced his opposition to Sudarat’s remark that the party was part of the “mud hole” in which Thailand has been stuck for many years due to lingering political conflicts.

“Instead, Pheu Thai Party was hit by road traps and we got robbed,” he said, apparently referring to the military coup that overthrew the government that the party had led in 2014.

Pachara, the son of former energy minister Phichai Nariphathaphan, added that he believed Pheu Thai had personnel with the potential of fixing the problem and “replacing the flat tyre”, so that Thailand would be able to move on.

In a thinly veiled attack apparently aimed at Sudarat, the politician said: “The problem is someone chooses to be obsessed with their status. They often cite religious reasons and goodness for their own benefit. This in turn causes people to lose faith in them.”

However, Sudarat has gained the backing of many Pheu Thai politicians in northeastern provinces, who view her as the most suitable candidate to become the next party leader, according to former Pheu Thai MP Chaiya Phromma, who represented the province of Nong Bua Lam Phu.

“Many northeastern ex-MPs I talked to consider that Khunying Sudarat is the best choice to become Pheu Thai leader at the moment,” he said.

“Personally, I see that she is capable of leading Pheu Thai into a new political era, upholding democracy, preserving the top institution, and bringing about reconciliation and peace in Thai society,” he added.

Young politician Surachart Thienthong – a former Pheu Thai MP for Bangkok – said he also believed that Sudarat was suitable to become the party’s next leader.

Surachart said he had worked with Sudarat and saw many good leadership qualities in her.

Sirawith Seritiwat, Wanchalerm Khunsen and Jidapa Thanahatthachai denied the charges and were later released after questioning.

They are accused of breaking the junta ban against political gatherings of five or more people and the Public Assembly Act.

Their ultimate punishment could be up to six months’ imprisonment and/or fines of up to Bt10,000.

Pol Colonel Apichai Krobpetch, superintendent at Pattaya police station, said the three activists had broken the law because they did not notify the authorities before organising the assembly.

They participated in the 50-person assembly, in front of a Pattaya department store in Chon Buri province on March 4, as part of a months-long series of assemblies demanding the holding this year of a general election, which had recently been postponed to next February.

The Sirawith-led group, StartUp People, calls for the election to take place this year as previously promised by the government, an end to the junta rule of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), and also for the return of democracy.

“I don’t think I have done anything wrong. I just [exercised] my rights [to attend the assembly],” Wanchalerm said after his release.

“On the day of the assembly, I also called the superintendent to inform him. Still, some officers came to tell us to stop the event, and we did so accordingly,” he added.

Meanwhile, Panitan Wattanayagorn, security adviser to Deputy PM and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, on Monday said that the NCPO had been evaluating whether activist movements had any “connection” with political parties or groups.

“The movements have been orderly, but we have to monitor those who might amplify the matter [and take advantage],” he said, adding, “If there is anything unusual or unstable, security officers will have to take action.”

Panitan also stressed that the NCPO would still need to maintain order and security during the pre-election period.

“If you want the NCPO to dissolve, you have to think who would accomplish these missions,” he said.

The law expert also questioned whether the Constitutional Court, in coming up with its ruling, had performed its duty in protecting the charter, as it was obliged to do.

Jade said the court ruling had set a standard for writing an organic law which was not in line with the Constitution.

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) in December voted to approve the new national anti-corruption bill, which contained an amendment to allow some of the current anti-graft commissioners with qualifications prohibited under the charter to stay in office.

Such a waiver via legal amendment prompted some 32 NLA members to petition the Constitutional Court to rule on whether it was indeed constitutional.

The court last Friday ruled that the clause in the bill as written was not unconstitutional.

Jade said the court may have focused principally on the bill’s content, while not adhering to the charter’s spirit.

However, this may allow politicians in the future to exploit the ruling in order to write the content of bills to benefit their own interests and damage those of the public, he warned.

A domino effect could follow, if some tried to exercise legal authority by using Friday’s ruling as a precedent for amending the critical organic MP election and Senate bills without taking constitutionality into consideration, he suggested.

This, Jade said, could lead to a new political crisis, as issues concerning independent organisations were always sensitive as far as the public was concerned.

The NLA in this case may have had authority to enact an organic law, but the bill’s contents must not run counter the charter, he stressed.

As the Constitutional Court is the last resort for people to seek rulings in regard to constitutionality, the court could therefore be questioned as to whether or not it had performed its duty of protecting the charter, which it was obliged to do, the law expert added.

“The issue has gone too far to turn back, like we have pressed the wrong button on our shirt, and I am just worried that it will open a loophole for exploitation,” he explained.

Meanwhile, former anti-corruption commissioner Vicha Mahakun said that although the court ruling was not open to formal debate, only acceptance, it would be debated critically by academics, especially as to the point that the clause in question had been written to waive a requirement in the charter.

In the future, the anti-corruption commissioners would find it hard to proceed with their work as trust in them had become questionable, he said.

They would be “questioned back”, especially by politicians and senior officials subject to their corruption investigations, Vicha said, citing his own experience, where trust was the most important asset enabling national anti-graft commissioners to handle pressure put on them.

The problem has the potential to emerge during the transition of the government, from the ruling junta to an elected administration, he added.

“No, there is no such [intention behind the] party. I have never heard about that,” Chatchai said in response to recent reports.

There were reports over the weekend that the Palang Pracha Rath Party, which had sought permission from the Election Commission to be established earlier this month, would invite PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha to become its chief adviser, paving the way for him to become a candidate for prime minister after the next general election.

Chatchai said he did not think the party would be set up for such a purpose.

People would have simply talked about the idea, and nobody has seen any further details about that, the general added.

However, he conceded that Colonel Suchat Chantarachotikul – reportedly the party’s founder – was close to the premier.

Suchat was with the New Aspiration Party, founded by General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, but it is unlikely that he would proceed with the formation of the new party, the deputy PM said.

Prayut, on the other hand, would have his own intentions, Chatchai added, while rejecting the notion that the PM would be invited to be Palang Pracha Rath’s adviser.

“There is nothing clear at this point, and you should ask the premier himself,” the general said.

As to the fact that the party’s name resonates with the government’s grand “Pracha Rath” scheme, he said anyone could adopt any name for their party.

Meanwhile, government security adviser Panitan Wattanayagorn said that although some countries wondered why Thailand had so many political parties, the recent active political-party registration reflected heightened political awareness and diversity in the Kingdom.

The government and the junta would do everything possible to maintain peace and order so that the country can steer a steady course towards the national election, he said.

Some groups are now under watch, and security officers are assessing whether they are linked to any political parties or groups, he added.

The junta has communicated with some of them with a view to forging better understanding, but to have the election held amid peace and order is what is needed as well, Panitan stressed.

There were reports over the weekend that the Palang Pracha Rath (Power of Public State) Party, who sought permission from the Election Commission (EC) to be established earlier this month, would invite Prayut to become its party’s chief adviser, paving the way for him to be a candidate for prime minister after the election.

“Who is saying that? I do not know,” Prawit told Government House reporters on Monday.

Many people doubt that the new party would support Prayut for PM because its proposed name, Palang Pracha Rath, is also the name of the government’s initiative Pracha Rath, the public-private project aimed at boosting the economy and income of local communities throughout the Kingdom.

The party name was submitted to the EC by Chuan Choochan, a leader of the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market community.

THANATHORN Juangroongruangkit, 39, vice executive chairman of Thai Summit Group, a multi-billion-baht automotive parts maker, appears to have won his family’s endorsement to set up a new political party which he suggests will offer a significant alternative choice to voters at the next general election.

Thanathorn is expected to join forces with Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, an academic from Thammasat University’s Faculty of Law. Writing on his Facebook page, Thanathorn, an activist for the poor and nephew of former transport minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit, said his mother had recently given him the green light to enter politics.

The Thanathorn-Piyabutr pair are seen as leading the bid to challenge the political establishment by offering a new generation of voters more choices of personalities and policy platforms, building on their previous grassroots efforts to help the poor and underprivileged.

Thanathorn, whose family’s business empire generates more than Bt80 billion in annual sales, said his siblings had extended moral support for his political journey and his mother Somporn had expressed no objection.

According to Thanathorn, who inherited the family’s multi-billion-baht business after his father’s death a few years ago, he received his mother’s tacit approval after telling her that he would choose to work for the country’s future rather than Thai Summit Group.

Meanwhile, the Suan Dusit poll, covering a sample of 1,083 people ending on Saturday, showed that the public expects new political parties to have high ethical standards, to be honest and not to enter into corrupt practices.

Since March 2, 42 new political parties have been registered with the Election Commission, giving voters more choices at the next general election. The Suan Dusit poll shows that, if they want to develop support, these new parties need to have the capability to tackle economic challenges to boost people’s well-being and national development.

The poll respondents also supported the need for a new generation of political leaders who are younger and competent, with policy platforms that are innovative and avoid politics that lead to divisiveness and conflict.

A 51.7 per cent majority of respondents expressed a hope that new parties would be able to serve people’s interests, but 48.2 per cent were concerned that these new parties and their candidates would be just like previous elected politicians.

Overall, the majority of respondents hoped that newcomers in the political arena would listen to the people and be effective in addressing their issues with transparency and accountability.

The 39-year-old auto-parts tycoon admitted that he had been described as “another Thaksin Shinawatra”, but asked for time to prove himself.

“There’s no way to prove what I am unless I have the opportunity to get down to it,” he said in a recent interview with The101.world on Facebook Live.

“I want to prove that there are politicians who take the public agenda really seriously.”

Because he is a nephew of businessman-turned-politician Suriya Juangroongruangkit, a key figure in the Thaksin-led Thai Rak Thai Party and former transport minister, critics have expressed doubt whether Thanathorn is really just a successor to his uncle. Also, some people view him as having a close connection with the Shinawatra family, which has retained substantial influence in the previously ruling Pheu Thai Party. Thanathorn, however, dismissed such perceptions, saying that he only saw his uncle once or twice a year, adding that Suriya had been ill and was not politically active.

“People ask how I’m going to clear this impression. I can only say that if you are narrow-minded, you may look at my family name. But if you are open-minded, then look at my actions,” he said. “I don’t have to clear this impression. This is the best I can do.”

The young heir to the giant auto-parts manufacturer Thai Summit announced earlier this month that he would form an “alternative party” to contest the next election as the Election Commission began accepting prospective parties’ pre-registrations. The partial relaxation of the ban on political activities came after almost four years of restrictions imposed since the 2014 military coup.

The group, which is jointly led by “progressive pro-democracy” law professor Piyabutr Saengkanikkul, is seen as a new alternative for progressive young people who have lived in the recent conflict-ridden political climate, which they had done very little to create.

Royalists and conservatives, however, perceive the group as “anti-establishment”. One reason is that Thanathorn is the financier of the political publishing house Same Sky Books, which publishes books critical of the monarchy, while Piyabutr is a member of the Nitirat group that advocates the abolishment of the draconian lese majeste law. Thanathorn said both he and Piyabutr shared the same strong political stance. His goal in politics was to create a future that everyone could share in and steer the country out of conflict and divisions, he said.

Also, he said he believed a strong parliamentary system and the rule of law were the two most critical issues he wanted to advocate.

“Our firm political stance and wish is the crucial point to solving problems and fix the so-called patronage system,” he said. “Our decision about the solution has nothing to do with power, economic power or the need to maintain relationships with anyone. It comes from our very stance and I believe it can tackle complex issues.”

Thanathorn said it would take time before his party could really accomplish anything as it still had to learn along with society. “People, having gone through the deep conflict in the past decade, have learned something. And that forms a foundation for a strong democracy,” he said. Despite being painted with a “red shirt” image, the tycoon asked for support from various colour-coded political camps, including supporters of the defunct pro-coup movement People’s Democratic Reform Committee as well as the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship.

Thanathorn sought support from the red-shirts to help grow and sustain the country’s democracy.