The PM did not mention any names, but assigned the Foreign Ministry to proceed with the committee’s establishment.

Other concerned agencies, including the Department of Special Investigation, the Royal Thai Police and the Attorney General Office, will have to inform the public from time to time about how they have proceeded with the cases, and the progress they have made, Sansern said.

He quoted the premier as saying that the authorities had not managed to bring any individuals back to face justice after they had fled the Kingdom, so the public had questioned their work as well as that of governments.

For instance, the Foreign Ministry has been slammed for not being serious enough to take action in such flight cases, with some even suggesting there is a conspiracy not to do so, he said.

The government therefore needs to explain to the public about any obstacles that stand in the way of the authorities pursuing legal action, including international law, Sansern added.

Pakorn Mahannop and Chatchai Chanpraisri were selected by the court’s judges as their candidates.

Meechai said the law only barred those chosen by the selection committee from contesting again, but it was up to the NLA whether or not to accept those who had been rejected first time around.

However, news has circulated that the rejection last week of all seven Election Commission (EC) candidates was partly due to a controversy surrounding the selection of the two candidates from the Supreme Court.

Outgoing election commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn had questioned whether the court’s voting to select the two might not have been constitutional.

The Supreme Court judges had voted in a secret ballot, whereas the law requires that they do so in an open ballot.

Meanwhile, EC president Supachai Somcharoen said the electoral agency could still function even though one of its commissioners was about to retire and the number of panel members would therefore be reduced to four.

However, if it were to be reduced further, to just three members, the commission would not be able to make decisions on any big issues, he warned.

Supachai was apparently alluding to the potential resignation of EC member Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, which is possible if his application to be the agency’s secretary-general is successful.

The EC president said that there must however be some solution to the problem.

If the ruling junta were to use its sweeping Article 44 power to extend the incumbency of the retiring member, the EC would not have any problem with that, he added.

In a related development, Council of State secretary-general Distat Hotrakitya on Tuesday said the council, which is working on the six local election laws, could take at least a month to complete its work.

The EC will submit its opinion on the bills today and the council would have to revise them accordingly, he explained.

However, the council has been ordered by Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam to expedite the work in order to make it possible to hold the local elections quickly, Distat said.

The local elections are expected to take place this year, which would also make the road map to the general election clearer, as the junta also said it should leave an appropriate gap between the local and national polls.

With his colleague Chokchai Paiboonratchata, Ekachai planted 36 incense sticks in front of the Government House gate on Phitsanulok road.

“I do this to shoo away bad things,” Ekachai said about the ritual.

Apparently, his aim was to mock to mysterious appearance of 36 incense sticks in front of the premier’s office on February 17.

The Prime Minister’s Secretariat Office later ordered a search for the people behind the earlier incident as they worried that it could be “bad omen” for the government.

On Tuesday, the activists also showed up with a vinyl banner depicting Prawit’s expensive watches. “We’ll keep bringing it to be presented to Prawit any day he comes to Government House until he comes to receive it himself,” Ekachai said.

Since the watch scandal was revealed in December, Ekachai has made several attempts to approach Prawit to present his own, relatively affordable watch to the retired general as a symbolic protest over Prawit’s unusual wealth.

“Any watch can tell the time, it doesn’t have to be an expensive one,” he had said. “And the junta’s time to rule should be up already.”

On Tuesday, the two activists also filed a petition, via the People’s Service Centre, to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to ask him to sack Pol General Asawin Kwanmuang, whom they blame for failing to deal efficiently with the smog problem in Bangkok.

“A more efficient person should be appointed in place of him. However, I may propose that the best solution is to hold an election for Bangkok governor as soon as possible,” he added.

The court has maintained that it properly fulfilled its task choosing two candidates in line with the law.

Judges do not bring personal feelings to their work, Court of Justice spokesman Suriyan Hongwilai said yesterday.

The comment came in response to speculation that tension between the two bodies might arise after news circulated that the NLA’s rejection of the candidates was partly due to the Supreme Court’s controversial selection process for its two candidates.

But Suriyan said that all parties had done their best.

“On the Supreme Court’s part, [they] will proceed in accordance with the law,” he said.

The Election Commission (EC) organic bill set out that the EC would comprise seven members. Five were to be selected by a selection committee while the remaining two were to be picked by a meeting of the Supreme Court.

After last week’s rejection of all candidates, the NLA had to submit a letter to the Court notifying it of the vote results and calling for it to begin the selection process again.

Suriyan said the Supreme Court president would call for all 176 of its judges to convene to choose new candidates.

It’s not yet clear whether the court would follow the same process or issue a new selection regulation, Suriyan said.

In a related development, NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, also part of the selection committee, admitted the new round of recruitment could be more challenging as candidates might be thinking hard about their qualifications after the previous candidates were turned down.

The seven-day period of application may have to be extended so candidates could be fully prepared, he said.

The committee would also work more pro-actively in advertising the positions and the qualifications required so to inform people and draw more applicants, he said.

The committee has 90 days to screen the candidates, Pornpetch explained. But it would try to expedite the work so not to waste any more time, he said.

The fact that an EC member would retire soon also prompted the expediting, he said.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva urged concerned parties to look into the problem and help fix the way the court picks its candidates. He said the “open” nature of the vote may have affected the outcome.

The EC, meanwhile, is also looking for a new secretary-general in addition to commissioners because the previous one has retired. At least five people have applied for the vacancy. Among them are Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, a current EC member, and Tawatchai Thaikhieo, the deputy justice permanent secretary.

A junta order signed by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha last December allows new political parties to be registered, along with their members, starting on March 1, with existing parties able to start membership confirmation from April 1. The order in effect relaxes some rules and deadlines set in the Political Parties Act.

Starting from this Friday, given that Thursday is a public holiday, party founders are expected to register the names and symbols of new political parties with the Election Commission (EC). As many as 114 groups of people have already informed the EC of their intention to form new parties.

However, the requirements of the Political Parties Act require more than party names and logos for the registration to be accepted. Additional hurdles include a minimum number of registered members and party branches in different regions of the country.

Judging from the nature of the different groups, new parties could be divided into three main categories – those backing the return of junta chief Prayut as prime minister after the next election, those that expect to become a partner in a future coalition government, and those offering themselves as new alternatives in politics.

The first group has gained much attention recently after announcing their pro-military stance and a plan to support Prayut’s return as government head. These include the Reform People Party initiated by former senator Paiboon Nititawan, the Great Mass of People Party initiated by veteran politician Suthep Thaugsuban, and the Public State Party reportedly planned by a pro-military group.

According to some sources, the last group of people has links to the ruling junta National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the party’s name could resemble the government’s large-scale development project, which is called “Pracha Rath” in Thai.

Another planned pro-military new party is expected to be called “For Thai Nation”. It was initiated by Ampapan Thanetdejsunthorn, the wife of late former Army commander-in-chief General Sunthorn Kongsompong. While serving as the Armed Forces supreme commander, Sunthorn in 1991 led the National Peacekeeping Council to stage a coup that overthrew the then-elected government.

Deputy Premier and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan yesterday declined to comment on reports that Suthep was about to set up a new party in support of Prayut’s return as prime minister. “I don’t know. You need to ask Suthep,” Prawit said.

The second group expects their new political parties to join the next government as coalition partners. These include a party to be called Citizen Power and set up by a group of old-style politicians from different current and defunct parties – some of them controversial. They include Samphan Lertnuwat, Wichai Chaijitwanitkul, Ekkaporn Rakkwamsuk, Wiwatanachai Nakalasin and Choksamarn Silawong.

New rules under the current Constitution make it more likely for smaller political parties to gain MP seats thanks to the “proportional representation electoral system” in which “every votes count”. Political observers and experts have predicted that many smaller parties will win a handful of MP seats in the next election.

That explains why there is speculation that some well-established existing parties also plan to set up new political parties as nominees in the hope of sharing votes in constituencies dominated by their rival parties.

The last group of new parties will offer themselves as alternatives to the old-time parties. Among them is a party likely to be formed by a group of activists and academics from the Nitirat group, including the young scholar Piyabutr Saengkanokkul. It is reportedly going to be supported by tycoon Thanathorn Juangroong-ruangkit, whose family owns the giant auto-parts maker Thai Summit Group.

The judges do not bring their personal feelings to their work, said Court of Justice spokesman Suriyan Hongwilai on Monday.

The comment came in response to speculation that tension between the two bodies might arise after news circulated that the NLA’s rejection of the candidates was partly due to the Supreme Court’s controversial selection process for its two candidates.

But Suriyan said that all parties had already done their best.

“For the Supreme Court’s part, [they] will proceed in accordance with the law,” he said.

The Election Commission (EC) organic bill set out that the EC would be comprised of seven members. Five were to be selected by a selection committee while the remaining two were to be picked by a meeting of the Supreme Court.

After last week’s rejection of all candidates, the NLA had to submit a letter to the Court notifying it of the vote results and calling for it to begin the selection process again.

Suriyan said the Supreme Court president would call for all 176 of its judges to convene to pick new candidates.

It’s not yet clear whether the court would follow the same process or issue a new selection regulation, Suriyan said.

Panitan noted that security officers were suppressing political assemblies. However, he viewed that this is normal.

Every time political space is opened up, people tend to make moves in response to it, he added.

Panitan said that the activists involved in recent movements were “fairly experienced” to – even though almost all of them are still university students -– and said security officers were investigating their connections with other people.

“They are political groups who want to show themselves to the public, as the political space is more open,” he said. “What the security officers can do is suppress them.”

Panitan added that these groups were being closely monitored by the junta, which did not want to see “any incidents by a third party”, and would face legal if they violated the law.

National Council for Peace and Order spokesperson Colonel Winthai Suvaree said the junta would try to ask for cooperation from, and create understanding with, the groups, including Democracy Restoration and Start Up People. However, security officers would step up measures in response to any political moves. At this point, however, the police were in charge of the situation.

Winthai downplayed the groups’ impact on public perception, questioning the credibility of their speakers and dubbing them “hard talk persons:.

Prawit, meanwhile, said the junta would keep its political ban order in place, despite the fact that local elections will soon take place.

Nipit Intarasombat, the Democrat deputy leader in charge of the South, said yesterday the party obviously had the same support base as Suthep and his People’s Democratic Reform Foundation.

“We share the same support base, so the party will be partially affected,” Nipit said.

He also said a number of Democrat politicians had worked with Suthep when his group was known as the People’s Democratic Reform (PDRC), adding that many of those Democrats would probably join Suthep’s new party.

The PDRC, in which Suthep served as secretary-general, held street rallies against the former government of Yingluck Shinawatra, drawing support from thousands of people. The protests continued for many months, with the subsequent political confrontations leading to the military coup in May 2014. After the coup, the PDRC ostensibly became a charity foundation led by Suthep.

Suthep recently said his group would set up a new political party primarily to support Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to return as premier after the next election.

Nipit said yesterday that unlike the PDRC, the Democrat Party backed its current leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to become prime minister after the election. The Democrat Party has traditionally dominated constituencies in the southern provinces and often won most contested MP seats in the region. The PDRC also has many supporters in the South.

Abhisit yesterday said he was not concerned that a number of Democrat politicians might defect to join Suthep’s new party.

“They have the right to decide if they want to stay with the Democrat Party or not. But so far, no party members have resigned,” Abhisit said, adding that the party has been firm with its long-held principles and ideology.

The Democrat leader yesterday also called on the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to relax its rules on political gatherings, which were perceived as obstacles for politicians’ activities. Suspending the ban on political activities would also prevent political conflicts, he added.

Abhisit, a former prime minister, also asked the ruling junta to heed the opinions of different groups of people. He added that he did not think doing so would result in the government’s stability being undermined. “It’s just the opinions of some groups of people,” he said.

“Also, the government needs to maintain the credibility of the road map,” Abhisit said, referring to the government’s timetable for the next election.

There have been frequent changes to the scheduling of the original post-coup road map to an election, with critics pointing out that the delays enabled the NCPO to remain in power for a longer duration.

Almost 59 per cent of respondents said they disagreed with setting up a new political party just to support Prayut. They agreed that political parties should be established with the goal of serving the public and developing the country, not to back anyone in particular or help someone retain political power.

However, as many as 35.4 per cent of respondents said they agreed with the idea, adding that it was up to new political parties to decide who they supported, and they had the right to do so in offering themselves as alternatives for voters.

The survey was conducted by Suan Dusit University involving 1,185 people throughout the country between Wednesday to Saturday.

As many as 57.3 per cent of respondents said they would not vote for a political party simply because it was new. But 42.7 per cent said they would choose a new political party that they viewed as a fresh alternative.

Prominent political figures Suthep Thaugsuban and Paiboon Nititawan recently announced plans to form new parties in support of Prayut, who heads the post-coup government and ruling junta. Another pro-military party is also reportedly in the making for the same purpose.

A junta order issued in December allows new parties to be registered and start political activities on March 1.

Meanwhile, many people believe Prayut has performed worse in many areas than a year ago, according to the results of a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida).

The latest Nida Poll found that after having been in power for three years and six months, the prime minister is seen to be performing worse than a year ago.

A total of 71.6 per cent of respondents said Prayut was working according to principles, compared to 82.4 per cent when a similar survey was conducted in February last year.

In terms of decisiveness, 68.5 per cent said Prayut had that quality, down from 84.5 per cent a year ago. Regarding transparency, Prayut had 55.3-per-cent support, compared to 67.4 per cent a year earlier.

Regarding leadership personality, 76.6 per cent of those surveyed said Prayut was running the country like a military leader, up from 65.4 per cent a year ago. Another 14.8 per cent viewed him as a democratic leader, down from 17 per cent from a year earlier.

The Nida poll was conducted with 1,250 people aged 18 and above in all regions of the country from last Monday to Wednesday.

“I know that we don’t get anything in return for now, but I can’t pretend as if nothing is happening,” Nuttaa said. “I just follow my passion. It makes me happy to think that my deeds can, more or less, call for justice for those with their rights infringed.”

Her usually soft-spoken voice became rousing when she shouted through speakers in pro-election rallies on January 27 and February 10 – incidents that resulted in her facing charges ranging from breaking the junta’s ban against political gatherings of five or more people and the public assembly bill, to sedition. If found guilty, she could face one to seven years in jail.

“Fight on, Khun Bow!” red-shirt supporters, using her nickname, cheered as Nuttaa went to the Constitutional Court office on Wednesday to file a petition asking for the junta’s ban to be reconsidered.

Nuttaa is a familiar face among the pro-democracy activists challenging the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which will have been in power for four years in May.

Her debut in the activists’ circle came shortly after the 2014 coup, when she played khim, or Thai cimbalom, in a busking project to raise funds for political prisoners.

In December 2016, she joined the campaign to free Jatupat Boonpattararaksa or Pai Dao Din, who was denied bail after he was detained on a lese majeste charge. The following April, she led a group of concerned citizens to file a petition to seek the lost plaque commemorating the 1932 Revolution.

These activities, along with movements by politicians, are often seen by the authorities as the work of an “anti-junta network” connected to one another with political backup and financiers.

Nuttaa shrugs this off, standing firm that she works independently. “We share similar ideologies, so our support for each other happens naturally,” she said.

She said that her observations of student activists showed that it was not expensive to run assemblies. All they need to pay for are transportation, documents, an Internet connection, speakers and rental costs. Fundraising and donations are often made on case-by-case basis.

“I assure you it’s cheaper than our cosmetics,” she said jokingly. “This can be the new ecosystem of the political movement: no large cash backup, no political powerhouse, no violence involved.”

Nuttaa’s interest in politics dates back to 2006 when Thailand saw a fresh political divide between pro- and anti-Thaksin Shinawatra groups that was consequently ended by a coup.

The divisions remained and there was another coup, with those coup leaders now ruling the country.

Nuttaa said that there was no time for her to hesitate in leaving her comfort zone.

She once held down a secure job as a corporate marketing director, but Nuttaa now contributes 40 per cent of her time to political activities, 30 per cent to raising her 10-year-old son, and the rest to freelance jobs as a special lecturer.

With more and more charges being levelled against activists, students and journalists, she has had to elevate her efforts in the journey towards democracy. She is positive that these efforts will yield fruit, because “society’s running out of patience with the junta”.

Being a teacher, the mother has started teaching her son, Neo, a basic concept of democracy. She once took Neo to military court in Khon Kaen to observe Jatupat’s case, allowing him to understand this side of his mother’s life.

Neo and other members of the new generation help her maintain the belief that there is hope as long as faith in justice is retained.

“I tell my son and students: if you believe in justice, you have to give your all to prove that this faith is fair,” she said.