It’s no secret that the name Thaksin has in Thai a Sanskrit root stemming from the word dakshin, which means south.

The hashtag #ThaksinIsTheSouth became the No 1 tweeted topic in Thailand on Thursday and became a popular topic for Thai Tweeples to make fun of.

This occurred after Rangsit University president Arthit Ourairat posted on Facebook that he was not referring to a particular person when he wrote “Thaksin Group” in reference to an analysis on who was behind the bombing and arson attacks in the South last week.

Arthit wrote: “We cannot analyse or criticise directly in this country. We must dance around the subject. [Having a] conscience does make cowards of us all. I re-read the valuable analysis that a respected person had sent me [which was posted on Facebook]. No one’s name was mention and no one was accused.

“People must have misunderstood. There was Thaksin Group. It meant the Southern group [of people], just like the Isan [Northeast] Group, the Udon [Northern] Group, the Burapha [Eastern] Group, the Payap [northwestern] Group. Why does [having a] conscience make cowards of us all?.”

On Wednesday, former Pheu Thai MP and lawyer Khattiya Sawatdiphol filed a Computer Crime lawsuit against Arthit on behalf of her client, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Twitter users responded to Arthit’s post.

@Loog_zo wrote: “It’s the wit of a person in the university president’s class. The fools are unlikely to get it.”

@kitschmepls wrote: “A: I’m hungry but don’t know what to eat. B: Do you care for Thaksin food? I like veggies. C: No, I don’t like Thaksin [Southern] curries. They are too spicy. I prefer Udon [Northern] food.”

@Fauvismm: ’Suthep Thaug [Thaugsuban] is also in the Thaksin Group. #ThaksinIsTheSouth”

Others were more serious. @ellathauz wrote: “Thaksin is the South. Oh, I’ve just seen this. So ridiculous. Group after group were blamed. The real [people behind the bombings] must be laughing. We can’t find courage or responsibility in anyone.”

@Lord_Notto: “South insurgents are South insurgents. The group from the South is the group from the South. Why would anyone call the group Thaksin insurgents?”

@ccjames7: “If Thaksin means the South, then what is the Thaksin Group? How many groups are there in total? What are they called?”

On Facebook, there was less interest in the controversy. Facebook users cared more about the sad plight of Omran Daqneesh, the five-year-old Syrian boy pulled from rubble after an air strike in Aleppo.

Nate Suratwadee wrote: “The still photo [of Omran] left me stunned … [the incident] made me cry. Just indescribable. There are many child victims [of the civil war]. Many have become refugees. I saw a post with the hashtag #RobbedChildhood. That’s so true.”

Pao Jitasen wrote: “I wish I could hold this boy very tight.”

Mlk Yotha wrote: “Who’d get the benefit from this cruel situation? NO ONE. These innocent kids deserve brighter eyes, a cheerful laugh. They were supposed to get a better future, belong to a better place and have better lives.”

Nirawit Kaewnok wrote: “Started my day by watching this video while getting ready for study. I can’t make my feelings to die down … I was thinking, What if that was my sis[ter] or my cousin … I just want to share with the world how I feel because I don’t think we can look away anymore. I just feel so helpless. Seeing fellow human beings, especially children, being slaughtered is too sad mood. #prayfortheworld”

Ekarach Sriboonma wrote: “Stop war, stop losses.”

The NLA voted anonymously 182-7 to impeach Pracha, with two members abstaining. At least 131 votes, or three-fifths of 218 NLA members, are required to approve an impeachment.

Pracha was removed from his position after the 2014 coup when the democratically electedYingluck Shinawatra government he served was ousted by the military.

But this impeachment legally bans Pracha from holding political or bureaucratic office for five years, the same punishment Yingluck faced when also impeached by the military-appointed NLA last year over the rice-pledging farm-subsidy programme.

The vote came a day after the NLA heard closing statements from Pracha and the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

In her closing statement, NACC member Supha Piyajitti told the NLA that Pracha abused his authority by calling the chairman of the board of directors of the Interior Ministry’s Marketing Organisation on November 11, 2012, to ask it to postpone a meeting scheduled to consider firing the organisation’s director. But the board went ahead with the meeting and proceeded to fire the director, Supha said.

She said Pracha, although a deputy minister, was not authorised to oversee the organisation and thus violated the 2007 charter prohibiting political office holders from interfering in the work of state firms.

However, Pracha insisted in his closing statement that he had authority to do so but had no intention to interfere with any party.

“This subject is only about different legal angles on my job description as a minister, and is in no way corruption,” he said.

An NLA source said many of those who voted to impeach Pracha were from academic, legal and NGO backgrounds and found Pracha’s explanation reluctant and unclear.

The law should ensure that future parties are “difficult to set up but easy to stay on and difficult to be dissolved”, he said. Somchai added that if the drafting of organic laws under the new charter is smooth, then elections can be held on December 10 – which falls on Constitution Day and is a long holiday, which is far away enough from the New Year.

He said holding elections close to New Year would present the complications of electoral fraud and vote buying.

Somchai said the Constitution Drafting Commission had to come up with four organic laws on the election of MPs, senators, political parties and the Election Commission.

“The law on the election of MPs must ensure that candidates do not shoulder heavy costs in election in order to give people with integrity a chance to compete,” he said.

Somchai also dismissed concerns about the petition filed by Pheu Thai politician Ruangkrai Leekitwattana with the Supreme Administrative Court demanding that the referendum result be nullified as all households were not provided with a copy of the draft as required by law. The commissioner said that the EC had followed the law by disseminating information on the draft through many venues such as the Internet, publications and newspapers.

“The complainant may misunderstand the interim charter,” he said.

Somchai went on to say that he would propose that the EC adjust its work structure, sort of put the organisation at “set zero”, so it can dissolve its hierarchical work structure. He said from now on, commissioners must be able to work on every aspect and rotate.

Jatupat Boonpattararaksa aka Phai Dao Din, a member of the anti-coup Dao Din movement, has been on hunger strike for 12 days now after being arrested for campaigning against the junta-influenced draft charter.

The student was arrested on August 6 for handing out “vote No” leaflets, which were deemed to be influencing votes – an act prohibited by the referendum bill.

Jatupat’s family and Amnesty International are also calling on the police to release him for medical treatment owing to his deteriorating health. However, police have said that the activist can only be released on a bail guarantee, a condition that Jatupat has been refusing to comply with as he insists his conviction is in no way legitimate.

“I don’t know. It’s the legal process. But did he break the law?” Prayut asked. “I have nothing to do with this. I didn’t issue the order to arrest him. I don’t care if he’s sick. Has he gone on strike on his own accord? You don’t eat then it’s normal that you’ll get sick. I also don’t care about his family calling for his release.”

Meanwhile, Phra Paisal Visalo, the abbot of Wat Pasukato in Chaiyaphum province, yesterday urged Jatupat to stop starving himself in protest of his “unfair arrest”.

Phra Paisal said he was concerned about the activist’s health and had asked him to end his fast but to no avail. Jatupat said he would continue fasting until tomorrow and then consider whether he should continue. Jatupat’s father Wibul Bunpattaraksa denied reports that his son had taken bread and milk. He said the media should not discredit Jatupat, adding he was required to take some food before ingesting prescribed medicine to prevent ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease.