The premier joined his Cabinet members in inspecting the two main upper-South provinces of Samut Sakhon and Phetchaburi, where fishery is a prime business sector and the use of foreign labour has long been a major challenge for the country to properly address in order to receive international acceptance.

Prayut however took a few moments during the trip to mention politics, urging people to look beyond the present so that they could see their future, and particularly their happiness.

The PM said he wanted people to understand exactly what democracy means, with the holding of an election being one of the prime tools towards achieving democracy, but the electorate should also have knowledge about the candidates they were choosing from.

In his view, they should vote for people who have a work principle and a sustainable work approach, and not for those favouring short-sighted offerings as that would “collapse the country and we would all be in trouble”.

The premier stressed this point particularly in relation to state officials like kamnans and village heads.

“We must know what true democracy is. If we keep voting simply for those giving things away, we will be all [economically] dead, I tell you,” he insisted.

Prayut urged people to consider their choices carefully.

They should not throw their support behind anyone simply giving things away, but should back someone who would steer the country forward with plans every five years, he said.

The premier also said he was concerned about those “in the middle” and who say that anyone can become the government, as they have no interest in politics.

This, he suggested, could lead to a reckless government damaging the state budget, which would be dangerous for the country.

Prayut also insisted that he was not campaigning to vie for votes.

His government, he said, had been working for all people nationwide, and not those in one particular province, and would not “sell a dream” to people.

But, if the government could be said to be offering a dream, it would be something with a national strategy that would lead the country forward in a proper way, he added.

“People would like me if I just kept giving stuff away, but we [the government] just work based on principle,” the PM emphasised, adding that his administration was ready for any kind of scrutiny, with him alone having “over 400 to 500 cases pending” for that type of examination.

“Some civil servants and community leaders have stopped out plan to reach the PM,” said Pasit Pawangkhanan, one of villagers opposing the waste-to-energy plant project in the province.

“But we will do whatever it takes to ask the PM directly or no one will listen to us at all.”

The group has been active since last May, Pasit said, to object to plans to locate the plant planned in the centre of the local community near schools, temples and the source of public water. Villagers were also not allowed to sufficiently participate in previous public hearings, he claimed.

“We have been threatened by the local mafia. We also tried to reach government agencies but there was no progress. We are scared that the plant’s construction can’t be stopped,” he complained. “If the PM can’t be reached, I don’t know what’s the point in him having a field visit.”

Prayut’s latest visit will focus on the lower central region with the stated aims of solving illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the seafood industry, the promotion of local tourism and the granting of land to local villagers.

“The PM said that we would also need to listen to local people and try to fix their problems, such as polluted water, river management and coastal erosion,” said Government Spokesperson LT Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd.

Suthep was the leader of the defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), which occupied Bangkok from 2013 to 2014 in opposition to Yingluck Shinawatra’s government.

The PDRC, whose members blew whistles during public protests, went into hiatus after the 2014 coup before being reincarnated as the People’s Democratic Reform Foundation (PDRF), which is still headed by Suthep.

As almost all PDRF figures, including Suthep himself, were Democrat Party politicians, the movement is often seen as the Democrats’ grassroots branch, similar to how Pheu Thai Party and the red-shirt movement are related.

According to the source, a former key PDRC figure, Suthep has decided to be a member of the prospective party, without accepting any crucial post so he could keep a pledge he made during the PDRC era.

“But many people disagree, seeing Suthep as a suitable choice to lead the party,” the source said. “If that’s the case, he may have to make a public apology, with the reason that it’s necessary for him to return to politics to carry on his mission.”

The party has gathered 200 prospective members and aims to reach about 500 members. It plans to inform the Election Commission (EC) by next month before making a public debut in May.

Its members plan to become a middle-sized party, expecting to win 15 to 20 constituency MPs and about 30 party-list MPs.

The name is not settled yet. The first choice could be derived from the PDRC’s full name in Thai, which can be translated as “people’s party for changes and reforms of Thailand for complete democracy under a [constitutional] monarchy”. The second choice, meanwhile, could be as simple as “Great Mass of People Party”.

The party will stick to its original principles regarding reforms considered to have been undone by the junta government. Related policies and draft laws on “national reform” are expected to be promoted.

New parties have been registering with the EC since Friday to compete in the next election, currently promised by the junta to be held by next February, under the 2017 Constitution.

The charter, which introduces many new election instruments, is seen by critics as helping middle and small-sized parties to gain more parliamentary seats, which would ultimately affect the voting for the next prime minister.

Their clock is ticking on this year’s election and also for the ruling junta’s fourth anniversary in May, when they plan to hold protests against the lingering power.

Activists who attended assemblies in January and February to urge an election this year, face charges ranging from allegedly breaking the junta’s ban of political gathering to sedition.

With the need to quickly create an impact, against time constraints and legal threats, activists are under mounting pressure.

“I wouldn’t expect roads full of protesters like what we used to see,” said Sirawith Seritiwat, who leads a Start Up People group. “But it doesn’t mean that we can’t be powerful.”

Sirawith said that seeing hundreds of people attending assemblies is “satisfying”, given the risks posed by current political circumstances, and it would also be enough to put some pressure on the junta.

Last Tuesday, PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha again promised an election, this time by next February. While the promise did not meet their demand for the election to be held this year, Sirawith, said Prayut’s vow was prompted by activist movements.

The Start Up People, with focus on a people-level symbolic movement, made their debut last December when they filed a petition to the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly on a motion of no confidence in the junta government.

Sirawith rose to fame gradually through the anti-junta movement along with Rangsiman Rome, who is now leading the Democracy Restoration Group (DRG).

“The Internet world is critical indeed,” Rangsiman said. “It may be influential but still, not to the extent that it can throw the National Council for Peace and Order out.”

More movements have to be generated in both the physical and cyber worlds to convey the groups’ emphasis on an early election, especially for youngsters who have yet to cast their vote during the junta government.

While an online platform is ideal to send messages and raise awareness for the younger generation, it does not provide great coverage for other audiences, particularly those in rural areas, he said.

Rangsiman’s strategy is to focus on simple, low-budget activities with concise and impactful messages. The DRG’s key three messages are: this year’s election, the end of the NCPO and the return of democracy.

While prosecution threats are looming, both activists say they do not fear the outcome.

“Fearing everything will make us do nothing,” said the DRG’s Chonticha Jaengrew. “The more prosecution they try to pose against us, the more enlightened the public will feel.”

Chonticha, who mostly advises police of activists’ use of public areas beforehand, said that the pressure often comes from the military. “Most of the time, we found that the military people, not the police, make a final decision whether to allow or stop each of our activities,” she said.

Permission is often uncertain. Sometimes they are allowed and sometimes threats are made against them or the owners of the location where they meet, such as the restaurants. “We found officers sometimes visited them to ‘ask for cooperation’ not to allow us to organise the event,” she said.

“Ultimately, we don’t refuse to cooperate with the authorities. But our essence is that we won’t allow them to infringe our rights and freedoms,” she said. “We stay peaceful and the most they should do is provide facilitation.”

Thanathorn gave an interview to reporters yesterday after he did not join the 42 groups of people who registered their intentions to establish political parties on Friday, the first day of pre-registration organised by the Election Commission.

Many observers expected that Thanathorn or his representatives would show up for pre-registration since he had previously told the media that he planned to enter politics.

Responding to a question as to whether he would establish a political party, Thanathorn said yesterday that the issue would be clearer in the second half of March.

“For the time being it is in the stage of planning, as the situation leading to creating a political party has developed so fast,” said Thanathorn. He went on to say that it was time for Thais to seize the future and not allow the country to be stuck in conflicts.

He said Thailand had been in political conflict for 12 years since the coup in 2006. The country had the potential to leap forward but it had been constrained by prolonged conflict, he stressed.

“In order to open a door to the future and find new things, we should have a new alternative political party driven by the power of new generations,” said Thanathorn.

“It is a very hard job to create a political party. We would not create it just for a temporary purpose; we would not do it if we could not change the country,” he said.

He said that while the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) had banned political parties from proposing their political agenda for the time being, he believed that the power of new generations could bring change to the country if they did not bow down to the current unfavourable situation.

Asked whether law professor Piyabutr Saengkanokkul would join him in creating a new party, Tharathorn simply said that he had known Piyabutr for many years, then added that everything would be clearer in the second half of the month.

He also commented on the 42 groups that had pre-registered their political parties, saying that if Piyabutr and he could see the potential in any party that they could rely on, they would simply stay at home.

Asked about risks to himself should he jump into politics, Thanathorn said that it was worth taking a risk in order to have a better future – although he may lose another dream. In case of political chaos, it would also pose a risk to him and his family financially and physically. Or, should he propose a bold solution for the country, it could have an impact on his freedom, he noted.

Thanathorn did not want to comment when asked about his popularity among netizens. He only said that if he established a political party it would not be as a nominee for anyone, but it would represent the new generations whose rights have been violated.

He acknowledged that he had faced some pressure concerning his well-known family name, saying that some people had attacked him in the past by attacking his family name.

People should judge him what he does, not by his surname, Thanathorn added.

The EC’s head office at Government Complex was full of energy as hundreds of prospective party founders and their supporters lined up to reserve the names and logos of new parties.

Observers said so many groups showed up on the first day possibly because political activities had been restricted since the ruling junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) came to power after the May 2014 coup. But most analysts believe that only a few newly registered parties will be viable.

At least two pro-junta groups showed up yesterday, registering the names People’s Reform Party, which is led by former senator Paiboon Nititawan, and Palang Chart Thai (Thai Nation Power) under the leadership of Maj-General Songklod Thiprat. Both men have previously worked under the coup-installed regime.

However, two highly anticipated new prospective parties, one backed by politician-turned-protester Suthep Thaugsuban and the other by pro-democracy billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, were not registered yesterday as their representatives were not seen at the venue. They are expected to show up later this month.

Many party founders present yesterday are political novices with backgrounds in business, civil society, academia or agriculture. Among the crowd was a YouTube celebrity.

One group wore T-shirts with the faces of the most bitter political rivals arranged in a heart shape above the word “reconciliation”.

Registration will be open until the end of the month and election authorities have 30 days to approve the applications.

Political scientist Stithorn Thananithichot said he believed the so-called “new blood” party led by young progressive people such as Thanathorn and law professor Piyabutr Saengkanokkul could offer new hope for politics.

“Politics has been frozen for four to five years. To change anything, we need new people in politics. And when I see this group, I feel we have some hope,” Stithorn said.

However, Thanathorn and Piyabutr might be perceived by the right wing as being critical of the monarchy, which some believe could be a potential disadvantage for them in the election.

Piyabutr, an academic with the Nitirat group, told BBC Thai earlier that he expected his new party would be a tool to bring people out of the dictatorship and return the country to a normal political system after a “lost decade” due to political conflicts.

The Nitirat group of academics is known for campaigning for amendments to the lese majeste law.

Thanathorn’s group included progressive pro-democracy people as their supporters, but their success remained uncertain, Stithorn said.

“I think they can win tens or hundreds of thousands of votes – enough to have maybe one seat in Parliament,” the political scientist said. “It is uncertain if they can steal votes from Pheu Thai Party. There are some people who are loyal to the Shinawatra family and others who look at the end results. If they want to win the election, they have to vote Pheu Thai.”

A new party that was expected to be successful would be backed by Suthep’s group, thanks to support from people affiliated with the now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee, Stithorn said.

Well-established parties like Pheu Thai and the Democrats may also need young blood to boost their image, he said.

In the pre-registration process, political groups could only reserve party names. Their official status as a political party will be confirmed only after they complete administrative work following the new regulations, such as gathering at least 500 founding members and raising a capital fund.

Newly registered parties also needed to seek permission from the ruling junta if they wanted to convene party meetings, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday. He said they could do so by making requests through the EC and that the NCPO would consider such requests on a case-by-case basis.

The junta still has not completely “unlocked the political restrictions” so new parties must be careful, he said.

Wissanu added that political parties had the right to name the candidates they wanted to support to become prime minister, but they were still not allowed to introduce policy platforms.

EC President Supachai Somcharoen said yesterday the number of new parties involved in the first day of pre-registrations was “beyond expectations”.

Despite its responsibility to ensure a free and fair election, Supachai said it was not the EC’s job to examine if new parties might have been formed in particular to support General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s return as prime minister.

The EC just registered groups that met the qualifications required by the law, he said. In response to suspicions that some party names might be registered to be resold in the future, Supachai said it was unlikely given that party founders had to raise at least Bt1 million to confirm parties’ status.

Election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyagorn yesterday said the large number of parties seeking registration reflected the present-day high degree of public interest in political matters. However, he added that not all the prospective parties would succeed in being formally approved.

Pro-democracy group reportedly planning to enter the fray of party politics, in contrast have not yet been sighted in the pre-registration venue.

More than 40 groups had signed up for the initial registration kick-off on Friday as they seek official approval from the EC to be listed as a new political party.

The first group signing up came under the name Palang Chart Thai Party [The Thai Nation Power]. Its founding members had arrived at the EC office in the early morning hours before applications opened at 7.30am. The party would reportedly be led by Maj-General Songklod Thiprat, who formerly worked closely with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

Spokesman Veera Raktham did not deny that the group would support Prayut as the next prime minister after the election. He said the party would make a future announcement after it was officially established.

Another of the first parties to pre-register was led by Paiboon Nititawan and called The People’s Reform Party. Member Thanaphat Sukterm told reporters the group had not been formed particularly to support Prayut. Its purpose would be to reform the Sangha affairs, he said.

Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyagorn said the large number of parties seeking registration reflected the high degree of public interest at this moment in political matters.

However, he noted that not all pre-registering parties would succeed in being formally approved for registration as new parties. They must meet certain basic requirements, including signing up at least 500 party members and building a Bt1 million party fund based on a ceiling capped at Bt500,000 per founder. That last condition would be difficult to meet for prospective new parties, said Somchai.

New parties also need to request permission from the junta to allow them to hold meetings in order to work on their required administrative work, Somchai said.

“Whether [the junta] will allow parties to hold the meetings as requested, or not, is something that we at the EC have no idea [about], nor how long it would take.”

Parties wishing to contest in the election, most likely to occur in February next year, must finish pre-registration by next month. Further delays would leave them insufficient time to proceed with other requirements, including primary voting, said Somchai.

One familiar name was that of former senator Paiboon Nititawan, who registered the Reform People Party.

Others were political novices with backgrounds in business, civil society or academia, plus several farmers from the North and South.

The EC will check qualifications over the next 30 days, and in the meantime the parties can seek National Council for Peace an Order permission to hold meetings and other activities.

The junta’s ban on political activity of any kind remains in effect, though it is giving newly created parties some leeway.

Members of the “New Palang Dharma” announced yesterday that the party could support General Prayut Chan-o-cha as an outsider candidate for prime minister after the next election.

New Palang Dharma leader Rawee Maschamadol yesterday vowed to lead the country towards “dharma-cracy” and reject Western-style democracy.

Chamlong Srimuang, the founder of the original Palang Dharma (which means “the power of virtues”), has kept his word and washed his hands of politics and will have no role in this rebirth of the party, said Rawee.

Anti-corruption is the number one policy platform for the party, he said.

The new party’s founders announced its establishment and direction at a press conference in the Asia Hotel yesterday. They intend to request the official founding of the party with the Election Commission when registration starts today.

The new party is believed to have won the blessing of Chamlong, once a Bangkok governor whose party dominated Bangkok elections for years. The soldier-turned-politician later became a protest leader.

Palang Dharma was founded in 1988 by Chamlong. The party was very successful in its first general election in 1992, winning 32 out of 35 seats in the capital.

Billionaire-turned-politician Thaksin Shinawatra began his political career officially with Palang Dharma before founding his own political party, Thai Rak Thai. Palang Dharma leaders, including Chamlong and Rawee, played a major role in the right-leaning movement against the Shinawatra camp.

Rawee yesterday said the new party, despite being on a budget, would field candidates in all 350 constituencies all over the country.

He refused to disclose the three candidates for prime minister that it would submit to the EC but said people could expect to be impressed by the names.

New Palang Dharma will support anyone who is honest and capable of leading the country to become the next government head after the election, Rawee said.

The party would first try to support its own candidate to contest for premiership, Rawee said, but he did not rule out that it would back Prayut as an outsider prime minister.

This will be the first major political duty the EC will be discharging since the referendum on the draft constitution in August 2016.

The EC’s caretaker secretary-general, Pol Colonel Jarungwit Phumma, who also serves as the political party registrar, said he looked forward to welcoming founders of all new parties to the pre-registration starting at 7.30am today.

Jarungwit said he believed all aspiring parties would be able to complete all the procedures in time, especially after Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s latest announcement that the next election would take place “no later than” February next year.

The pre-registration allows a group of 15 individuals to seek registration as a new political party. A number of EC officials have been deployed to facilitate the process at the agency’s head office, he said.

On Wednesday, the last working day before the pre-registration, officials at the EC headquarters worked on arranging a designated area to welcome founders of new parties today.

The pre-registration process abides by a controversial junta order issued in December that enables political parties to complete their administrative tasks and paperwork, aligned with the new organic law on political parties, while maintaining the junta ban on other political activities deemed a threat to peace and order.

At this stage, new parties are required to reserve the party name, logo and abbreviation, as well as submit relevant documents, Jarungwit said.

“Then, the EC will examine the qualifications of the 15 founding members and check if the party name, both in Thai and English, as well as the abbreviation, coincide with that of any existing parties,” he said. “If everything is okay, we will issue the acceptance letter to the party so it can proceed to the next steps.”

Unless it fails to gather at least 500 members and raise a minimum of Bt1 million as capital within 180 days of receiving the acceptance letter, a group can register with the EC as a political party, the caretaker secretary-general said. While all these activities may seem complicated, Jarungwit said the EC had no concerns.

He added that there was a clear procedure for new parties to begin the pre-registration today while existing parties will start from next month to deal with paperwork such as clearing up their registration records.

Both the EC and political parties were involved in writing all these rules and there were not any major changes, only the qualifications were more stringent, he said.

“And we have already scheduled a meeting later this month, which we will prep them [existing political parties] with what they have to do. They have enough time to do it. There shouldn’t be any problem,” he said.