Juthathip Lucksanawong
THE NATION August 5, 2016 1:00 am
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EAKPANT PINDAVANIJA, DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE STUDIES
My academic work deals with human rights issues. Our views are opposed to dictatorship and the military government, so if the draft is enforced, we will be in dissent.
There will be an infringement of human rights and freedom of expression will be limited. Also, I will have more difficulties in my work life.
BUNTOON SRETHASIROTE, KEY MEMBER OF THE PLATFORM OF CONCERNED CITIZENS AND FORMER MEMBER OF THE NOW-DEFUNCT NATIONAL REFORM COUNCIL
I have to follow up on laws under the draft’s Article 58, which will be written after the draft is passed. The laws will stipulate the duties of the state and its people. For instance, whether people and how many of them can sign their names to propose laws to the House of Representatives.
These laws will have an impact on society.
SAB CHOBKLA, TAXI DRIVER IN BANGKOK
My life will not change at all. I will be as poor as I am. If the draft passes, the military will still have an influence in Thai politics. The economy will worsen due to the global slowdown and an ineffective new government.
The military are not politicians or executives, so they cannot run the country productively.
PRASERT NIMNUAL, |MOTORCYCLE TAXI DRIVER IN BANGKOK
I have not read the draft yet and have no idea which way it will lead the country.
After the coup, my life as a motorcycle taxi has become tough. There is a lot more red tape in the process of getting a motorcycle taxi licence. The application fee has also risen from Bt50 to Bt100.
If the draft is approved, I don’t think the military government will remain in power any longer. However, the next government may focus on developing the country and impose stricter rules on the poor.
WASAMON AUDJARINT
THE NATION August 5, 2016 1:00 am
Despite the junta’s promise to bring democracy back to Thailand with this Sunday’s referendum on the charter draft, which resembles the internationally slammed 2008 Myanmar Referendum, the Nation’s Political Desk observed some incidents that would like this plebiscite uniquely different.
IT’S RAINING DOGS AND MONKEYS
Monkeys in Phichit sit idly in front of a board used to display lists of elgible voters after they tore 12 pages of them on July 24.
Who needs Godzilla when you have dogs and monkeys to do outrageous things. Apparently, a troop of some 100 monkeys showed up last month to tear up the list of eligible voters displayed at a Phichit temple. And though a local village chief tried to catch them, he failed and was left to deal with 12 shredded pages of the list on the floor.
Luckily, the local Election Commission (EC) office placated the marauding monkeys with fruit baskets and replaced the lists – now behind glass.
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In Chaiyaphum, police learned that tail-wagging, barking culprits were behind the shredding of another set of lists. Apparently, a local pack of dogs had had great fun tearing apart the lists from a board that had been knocked down in a storm. A new list was printed and guards stationed nearby to keep a close eye on things.
KEEP IT OUT OF CHILDREN’S REACH
Crumpled pieces of shredded lists were found under a displaying board in Roi Et on July 24. It is later discovered that a nine-year-old boy is the one committing the ’crime’.
Sometimes children should not just be kept away from pesticides and other poisonous things. A police superintendent of Kamphaeng Phet’s Khanu Woralaksaburi district ended up losing his job for failing to report that two grade 2 schoolgirls had torn up the pink coloured list. No charges were filed against the girls because they are far too young.
Similarly in Roi Et province, a nine-year-old boy was also caught tearing up the lists. Police interrogated him and his mother and allowed them to stay home, only for his teacher to learn the following morning that the two had fled the village. It is believed that the mother chose to disappear for fear of facing charges.
HOT TEMPERS BURN PAPERS
25-year-old Natthawut Boonma reenacts his alleged crime of tearing lists of eligible voters under watchful eyes of the Rayong police on July 26.
While little kids enjoy tearing paper, teenagers prefer to go even further and burn them. A 16-year-old in Khon Kaen province was caught burning the lists, apparently to keep mosquitoes away. Unfortunately, the poor fellow ended up being charged with violating the referendum law and destroying other people’s belongings.
Similarly, a 25-year-old in Rayong thought it would be a good idea to roll a joint with the list paper, until he was arrested and learnt the hard way that it wasn’t. Four middle-school students in the same province were also found burning the list papers just for fun.
SAY NO TO AMERICA “NO”
The controversial “Ga No” coffee.
Police confiscated almost 50 flags with the words “Ga No” adorning both sides of a street in Si Sa Ket. Reason? The word “Ga No” in Thai can mean “choosing no”, which allegedly violates the referendum law as it can influence voters. The police, however, later learnt that “Ga No” was a brand of coffee and the flags had been put to up promote the brew, not influence the coming vote.
ROASTED WHEN TRYING TO PROVE POINTS
Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn breaks the “high endurance” plastic ballot box when he flings it for the fourth time
Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn wanted to demonstrate to the public how secure the materials being used in the plebiscite are. Sadly, he was only able to prove they were rather fragile. The first item was the plastic ballot box, which can apparently last up to 10 years. Yet Somchai managed to break the “high endurance” box when he flung it for the fourth time.
Similarly a reporter managed to easily pull off a plastic band that was designed to bind the ballot box tightly.
YOU CAN’T DO THAT, BUT WE DON’T KNOW IF WE DID
The Election Commission distributes 20 million of pamphlets on the referendum amid controversy of alleged distortions against the draft’s original contents.
The referendum law clearly stipulates that anybody found distorting the draft charter’s content will be punished. Yet, ironically, the EC – which is in charge of enforcing this law – learned that that much of the content in its own pamphlets explaining the draft charter is exaggerated and even omits several controversial points on the parliamentary structure.
Although the EC has remained quiet on the matter, the drafters said they only wanted to put the content in “the simplest way” for people to understand.
When this issue was brought to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s attention, he only said “I acknowledged it, but didn’t read it. It’s not my business.”
DO YOU EVEN WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW?
Local administrators in Nan on August 1 give lectures to local officers assigned to look over the referendum situation
In a bid to boost public knowledge about the draft and the referendum, the authorities have opted for several platforms – ranging from oral explanations in rural areas to posting information online. Yet the public still seems to be misinformed. Just 1 million copies of the draft were printed despite there being more than 50 million eligible voters, not to mention the fact that people are far too afraid to discuss the subject openly due to the junta’s many bans.
Several local administrators, assigned by the Interior Minister to educate people in their areas, told The Nation that they didn’t dare provide too much of an explanation for fear that they might accidentally influence the vote and thus violate the referendum law.
MARTIAL LAW LIFTED? REALLY?
Six members of the New Democracy Movement walk out from Bangkok Remand Prison on July 6 after being released from charges of breaking the junta’s banning of political gathering of more than four people.
Despite claims of the martial law imposed after the coup being lifted more than a year ago, the junta is still imposing a ban on political gatherings of five or more people. Members of the New Democracy Movement were charged for violating the order when they distributed pamphlets explaining why they thought the draft should be rejected. A journalist landed himself in trouble for being present at the event, not to mention the red-shirt figures who were detained for trying to open anti-fraud centres.
Yet the junta-led government insists that it has opened spaces for people to discuss the vote freely.
A “POLITICALLY MATURE” MOVE FROM ABHISIT
Not even a month before their splits on the draft, Abhisit Vejjajiva is still seen giving birthday present to his influential ex-deputy Suthep Thaugsuban,both smiling
Be it as a former premier or as a Democrat leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva has tried to prove his integrity by not depending on others, such as his influential former deputy Suthep Thaugsuban.
While Suthep, who now leads a “politics free” foundation, continues broadcasting messages supporting the draft charter, Abhisit has steadfastly stood against it, saying it does not fight graft, suggesting that the next participatory draft should be led by Prayut if this one fails.
Also this is the first time that Abhisit and his arch-enemies ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra and Pheu Thai member and red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan have taken the same stance.
THE JUNTA PROMISED A DEMOCRATIC DRAFT CHARTER
The junta promised a democratic draft charter
The Nation will simply leave this to the readers’ judgement.
NANTIDA PUANGTHONG,
WASAMON AUDJARINT
THE NATION August 5, 2016 1:00 am
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THAI SECURITY around all foreign missions in Bangkok will be boosted on Sunday when ballot booths open for the draft charter referendum, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said.
“There is no indication of clashes but the Thai government has coordinated with relevant security agencies to ensure the safety of all embassies,” Sek said.
The steps are being taken after the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Myanmar and Denmark issued warnings for their citizens to be cautious on voting day.
Sek said the warnings from different countries are just general advice meant for their citizens, and not a call for better security.
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, meanwhile, played down the warnings. “They may not be aware that we are safer than many countries in the West,” Don said, adding that “several countries” had also praised Thailand for getting people to exercise their right to vote in the referendum.
Constitution Drafting Committee chairman Meechai Ruchuphan also said the junta has taken control of the situation. “But if anything happens, we may have to look at foreign countries as well,” he said. “We can’t blame it all on Thais.”
The chief drafter also countered the warning from Washington, pointing out that the US did not issue any alerts on shootings even though there are just three months to the elections.
Government Spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd also promised that the referendum day would be incident free.
“I don’t think any military officer will carry arms to ensure people behave properly,” he said. “Some countries may have overestimated the situation. Thailand is safer compared to the period before the 2014 coup.”
The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) yesterday deplored the referendum for its undemocratic process and actions against opposing campaigners.
“This is not a referendum in any genuine sense of the word,” said Charles Santiago, member of the Malaysian parliament and APHR chairperson. “This is no atmosphere in which to conduct a vote. Free and open debate is critical to ensuring that the public can make an informed decision.
“Without it, there seems little rationale for holding this referendum other than an attempt by an unelected junta to manipulate the democratic process in order to claim some kind of legitimacy,” Santiago said.
APHR also mentioned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s intention to remain in power if the draft is rejected.
“It seems that the Thai people are damned if they do and damned if they don’t approve this constitution,” said Walden Bello, former Filipino congressman and APHR board member.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), meanwhile, predicted that the draft would be rejected owing to public fear that it would erode previously held democratic rights.
“A fear of the indefinite and unaccountable control of government by the military will push citizens to overwhelmingly reject the draft constitution,” said John Marrett , the EIU research analyst. “The junta’s efforts to obstruct free opinion on the matter will conversely damage the case for it in the minds of voters.”
What is purportedly the world’s largest ballot box is the main attraction at yesterday’s campaign in Buri Ram province for a high voter turnout in Sunday’s referendum. Some 1,000 people took part in the event.
Suthep says critics seek to topple NCPO; Pheu Thai reiterates charter violates basic human rights
WITH ONLY two days left before Sunday’s referendum, both supporters and opponents of the draft constitution yesterday were making their final attempts to sway voters.
Suthep Thaugsuban, a politician-turned-political activist, warned that supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra were campaigning against the draft in order to use the results as a justification for a rally aimed at ousting the post-coup government.
“They are so arrogant. They announced that if the draft constitution fails to pass the referendum on August 7, they would come out to oust Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] on grounds of a lack of legitimacy,” Suthep said.
“Those people have a plot to keep causing confusion in the country. It’s because they want to return to power.”
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Also yesterday, the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party issued another statement reiterating that the party was against both the draft constitution and the additional question proposed by the National Legislative Assembly.
The party warned that the draft charter could lead to a new political crisis because its clauses made it “very difficult or almost impossible” to amend the new constitution.
The additional question asks voters if selected senators should be allowed to join elected MPs in the selection the new prime minister in the five years after the new constitution takes effect.
There has also been a campaign urging a low voter turnout with the goal of undermining the government’s legitimacy.
Prayut, who also heads the NCPO, said yesterday that a serious incident was unlikely to happen in the few days remaining before the vote or on polling day. He was responding to warnings by foreign embassies in Thailand for their nationals to take extra precautions over the next few days.
“Don’t worry. The military will take care of this,” he said.
Suthep, in his daily Facebook Live broadcast, said yesterday that although Thaksin cannot vote this Sunday because he is living in exile overseas, the former prime minister had announced his rejection of the draft charter.
“That was intended as a signal for his followers to use every means to overthrow the draft. People in the Thaksin regime are doing everything to have the draft constitution rejected,” he said.
Suthep is the former secretary-general of the Democrat Party and now chairman of the People’s Democratic Reform Foundation.
The political veteran announced yesterday that he would vote “yes” for the charter and the referendum question “to make sure that unqualified people will be unable to become prime minister in the reform era of the country”.
According to Suthep, the draft charter contains provisions that will enforce lifelong political bans for
people convicted of corruption, preventing them from contesting elections and becoming prime minister.
“Those people will stand to lose because of those provisions in the draft constitution,” he said.
In a seven-point statement, Pheu Thai said the draft charter was written after a military coup and without public participation, which meant it lacks legitimacy. Also, many of its provisions fail to respect people’s basic rights, the party said.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) yesterday held a nationwide “Big Day” campaign at the Royal Plaza to encourage voters to cast their ballots in the referendum. The “home stretch” campaign was launched in a last-ditch effort to encourage a large turnout.
EC chairman Supachai Somcharoen said that the EC offices in Bangkok and the provinces are united in the campaign to raise voters’ awareness of their rights.
The EC oversees 94,000 polling stations nationwide with almost 1 million election officials.
Supachai said vote results would be known by 8pm on Sunday.
In Bangkok, caravans and processions paraded through the streets of 50 districts in the capital. Several brightly decorated tuk-tuks took part in the parade while singers and actors performed, joined by 2,000 reserve officer training corps students.
Television stations broadcast about the various activities in Bangkok and in major cities such as Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Songkhla, Pattani and Chon Buri.
In a related development, a group called “Citizens Who Reject the Referendum That Is Not Free and Fair” yesterday submitted a petition to the National Human Rights Commission asserting their right to reject the outcome of the referendum.
PIYAPORN WONGRUANG
THE NATION August 5, 2016 1:00 am
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For more than two years people have been living under the current government, which seized power in a coup, eight years after a similar military intervention in politics.
As the country had decided to trod the path of democracy, a coup is totally seen unjustified and unacceptable.
With the passage of time, the ruling junta is under pressure from the public, which is increasingly dissatisfied with junta’s conduct, no matter what its justification.
“Following violent incidents which have erupted both in Bangkok and in several areas upcountry, resulting in innocent people getting killed and injured, and have escalated to the point that it can affect national security and public safety, the National Council for Peace and Order needs to take control of the situation as well as state power to ensure the situation will immediately return to normal, as well as national unity, and give a chance for major structural reform to bring equality to all,” declared General Prayut Cha-o-cha on May 22, 2014, shortly after the coup took place.
As people have come to terms with reality, there is widespread disenchantment with the coup, which is aggravated by the continued suppression of their rights by the powers-that-be.
However, merely fulminating against the coup is not going to resolve the underlying problems. What led us to this point? Political complications resulted from the deep-rooted problems concerning inequity in all aspects of society, something that has much to do with the principle of equality, rights, and liberty which fundamentally supports democracy.
Since it first experienced democracy 84 years ago, Thailand has been repeatedly sucked into internal turmoil which eventually ended in a coup at least 11 times, averaging one coup every eight years.
If democracy is already strong and well developed, why do we still end up with coups that destroy the very foundations of democracy, leaving us with the task of starting all over from scratch?
This may be the time for us all to evaluate our society and our politics so that we figure out what actually is going wrong and what changes we need to make.
This needs a holistic view that cannot be achieved without a true understanding of the real meaning of rights and liberty. This also means responsibility and respect for others’ rights and liberty, plus greater tolerance, something that seem to be absent amid the war of words in our politics.
To maintain the belief in democracy, fighting for our rights and liberty against the coup would be justified, but to achieve meaningful democracy what is required is we take action that vindicates our belief.
The current coup has taught us a crucial lesson, as it is about to lead us to a tougher test on the path towards democracy, with several elements in a draft charter, if it passes in a referendum on Sunday, posing a challenge to the democratic regime that would form the next government. Besides repeatedly demanding rights and liberty, what we also need is demonstrating our tolerance and respecting for the majority that will decide the country’s future. Our belief and our maturity as a nation are about to be put to the test.
Rights and liberty are precious, and worth upholding as long as we believe in democracy, as are tolerance and respect for the rights of others so that we achieve a meaningful democracy that will not leave anyone behind following a widening social and economic gap.
The question is, whether we are ready to prove we are mature and can move forward together. The referendum on Sunday will point the way forward.
Juthathip Lucksanawong
The Nation August 5, 2016 1:00 am
Foreign observers will play an important role in keeping an eye the referendum, local watchdogs said yesterday ahead of the foreign observation programme, which will kick off on Friday.
The Election Commission (EC) has endorsed at least 18 foreign representatives to observe the event and they may even be allowed to go inside the polling booths. However, domestic watchdogs have received no accreditation for the job, prompting concerns that the observation may be discriminatory and incomplete.
However, domestic observers told The Nation that those given the right to go into polling booths will help contribute to critical observation.
Domestic watchdogs such as “We Watch” and the “Open Forum for Democracy Foundation” [PNET] are keen on watching the voting process and possible fraud in the referendum. However, the referendum law does not allow them to do so, a source from PNET said. The source also said that no local watchdogs had asked for the accreditation, as they knew they would not be approved.
A source from the EC said the accredited foreign monitoring organisations include the election commissions from Bhutan and Timor-Leste as well as the Asia Foundation.
“The foreign observers could monitor preparations for the referendum, as well as the voting and counting process. However, they cannot observe inside the polling booths,” he pointed out.
Though certain foreign observers have joined the observation programme organised by the EC, Asian Network for Free Elections Foundation [Anfrel] has chosen not to, Pongsak Chan-on, Thailand programme coordinator for Anfrel, said.
He added that though Anfrel had applied for the observation permit, the EC took far too long to respond, which made it too late for it to prepare for the observation process, he said.
Hence, Anfrel has decided to become an unofficial observer and will use its own mechanisms to observe the voting process.
He said the EC’s first-time use of the Rapid Report App has also raised major concerns about the referendum’s transparency as no observes are allowed to watch when the authorities key in voting results.
“We cannot observe the use of the voting result report app by the authorities. So, how can we be sure that the result reported is accurate and transparent?” he asked.
Former Thai Prime MinisterThaksin Shinawatra on Thursday criticised a military-backed draft constitution as a “folly” that would perpetuate the powerof the ruling junta and make it impossible for future elected governments to rule.
The country will decide in a referendum on Sunday whether to accept the constitution in the biggest test of public opinion since the generals seized power in 2014. A vote in favour of the charter could give the military a permanent role in overseeing economic development and politics.
As about 3,000 students, civil servants and military cadets gathered in Bangkok to urge people to vote, Thaksin said in a statement emailed to Reuters the charter was a “nightmare of contradiction and confusion”.
“The drafters … created a constitution for the’continuity’ of the absolute power of the present coup makers to continue even after the new constitution is proclaimed,” he said in response to a question about his opinion on the referendum.
The ruling military council has said the charter will pave the way for a general election in 2017, ensure clean politics and end more than a decade of political turmoil since Thaksin, his allies and their rural supporters challenged the royalist and military establishment.
Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon who won the loyalty of legions of poor voters with populist policies, was toppled in a 2006 coup. He lives in self-exile to avoid a graft conviction he says was politically motivated.
Thailand’s two biggest political parties, one of which isloyal to Thaksin, oppose the constitution because they say provisions are designed to ensure military supervision of politics.
The constitution would put so much power in the hands of bodies tasked with acting as counter-balances to governmentsthat it would make Thailand ungovernable, Thaksin said.
“I predict that, even if the new government receives perfect endorsement from the present regime, it will find it impossible to manage the Thai economy or administer the country under those proposed conditions,” he said.
The junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order, has said it wants to return Thailand to democracy but to ensure politicians put the people’s interests first.
Big Day
However, Reuters interviews with senior military officers believe those claims and show that the military’s ambition is to make future coups unnecessary by weakening political parties.
Under the proposed charter, which would replace one torn up following the 2014 coup, a junta-appointed Senate with seats reserved for military commanders would check the powers of elected lawmakers.
The junta has promised a general election in 2017 if the constitution is approved. A ’no’ vote could usher in more uncertainty.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also junta leader,has said he would come up with another charter if this one is rejected.
Crowds gathered at central Bangkok’s Royal Plaza on Thursday as cars bearing banners urging people to vote set off around the capital.
The government has banned provocative criticism of the charter and detained dozens of activists. Referendum rules also ban anyone from campaigning for either side, so people carried neutral signs, urging voters to cast ballots.
About 50 million Thais are eligible to vote in the referendum and the Election Commission has said it expects an 80 percent turnout.
The junta has broadcast songs and television programmes to drum up enthusiasm.
“Everyone in the country … must come out to exercise their right to vote,” said Supachai Somcharoen, chairman of the Election Commission.
Attayuth Bootsripoom
The Nation August 4, 2016 1:00 am
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After the previous constitution draft written by a committee headed by Borwornsak Uwanno was rejected by the National Reform Council last year, many people were worried that a new draft would fail again. There was even concern that no legal expert would agree to accept the job of leading a new team of drafters.
However, Meechai Ruchupan, the country’s leading legal expert who has been with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) from the beginning, took upon himself the task. Two other leading legal experts, Borwornsak and Wissanu Krea-ngam, were unavailable. Wissanu has served as deputy prime minister in charge of the government’s legal affairs. Borwornsak was heartbroken after his draft was rejected by the NRC.
It was a big gamble for Meechai to accept the job of leading the Constitution Drafting Commission. For a legal expert of his stature, it would be an embarrassing loss of face if his draft failed to pass the referendum. Such a scenario would also pile up pressure on the junta, as it would have to end up writing a new constitution and its legitimacy would be at risk.
Initially, it was believed that Meechai’s draft would be able to sail through the national vote easily, thanks mainly to the fact that the NCPO has exercised control over the country’s politics after the coup of 2014. Critics faced legal action if they campaigned for people to. vote against the draft.
However, as time went by, the outlook has become uncertain for the draft charter. The outreach to the public about the referendum has been low key. Many people have no understanding about the draft’s content. Several eligible voters are opting not to vote while others plan to vote in accordance with their beliefs, without knowing anything much about the merits or demerits of the draft.
Despite restrictions by authorities, people have been able to communicate through social media and the Internet, which serve as efficient and powerful tools for disseminating opinions.
Many eligible voters have learned to avoid commenting publicly about the draft charter. They prefer to exchange views with like-minded people in closed online chat groups. Opinion leaders in communities and local politicians also can communicate with their supporters through social media. And they no longer need to meet them in person, which could attract the attention of authorities.
Interestingly, many people have become frustrated with the NCPO exercising power in a way that affects their rights and feelings. The resultant dissatisfaction certainly could influence how those people would vote in Sunday’s referendum. Although the vote is on the draft charter, for many observers the referendum also could serve as a litmus test on public acceptance of the NCPO.
Many voters certainly will rely on one or a few issues of interest in the draft constitution to decide whether to vote for or against it.
There has been dissatisfaction with the draft charter. Some people are unhappy that there is only little public participation in the drafting process. Others see that provisions in the new charter are unlikely to help tackle the country’s problems as intended. So it is not surprising that many people have announced that they will vote against the draft.
We eligible voters can determine our future by casting votes in this Sunday’s referendum. You can make your decision known at the ballot box. We would like to urge all eligible voters to exercise their voting rights for the sake of our country’s future. You have the power to decide what is good for the country.
JUTHATHIP LUCKSANAWONG
THE NATION August 4, 2016 1:00 am
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IF YOU want to record your moment taking part in the public referendum this Sunday or want to be a good citizen to capture any likely fraud using your smartphone, think twice.
The Election Commissioner (EC) and Referendum Watch Network have encouraged voters to use their mobile phones to take pictures and send reports of suspicious incidents to help monitor fraud in the poll, but some members of the public are unclear about what they can and cannot do.
Although there are no clear guidelines for referendum watchdogs and observers, EC Commissioner Somchai Srisut-thiyakorn has warned people not to take pictures and use their phones or any communication devices inside polling booths.
He said people can monitor and report incidents only from outside the polling booths.
Voters who want to take selfie photos are not allowed to take them inside polling booths whether they show ballot papers or not, he said.
He emphasised that taking photos of a complete ballot paper or part of one is a crime.
Police officers and polling booth staff will decide if a crime has been committed if a person’s phone rings or there are any unexpected incidents that could be deemed an offence, he said.
People are allowed to monitor the counting process and take pictures of vote results written on boards, he said.
Deputy police spokesman Colonel Krisana Patthanacharoen said selfies taken outside the ballot booths without showing how a person voted is permitted. But he also reiterated that any sign or message implying an intention to influence voters would be a crime and the person would be charged.
If there is confusion about what is allowed, government spokesman Sansern Keawkamnerd said, “Don’t do what you are not sure of. Why risk committing an offence?”
He said voters should strictly abide by the referendum-related laws.
Juthathip Lucksanawong
THE NATION August 4, 2016 1:00 am
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ANUSORN UNNO, SOCIOLOGY LECTURER AT THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY AND KEY MEMBER OF THE THAI ACADEMIC NETWORK FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
If the draft is accepted, then the relationship between Thai people and the state will change. The state will become superior to the people, having sweeping powers to arbitrarily control the people and the country in various aspects such as social welfare, rights to national resources and healthcare privileges.
CHALITA BUNDHUWONG, SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY LECTURER AT KASETSART UNIVERSITY AND A MEMBER OF THE UNIVERSITY’S POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION
Once the draft is approved, I will have to talk with my network of academics to see what moves we should make to fight for democracy. We will also have to monitor the junta’s moves after the referendum before we take any steps.
SOMSONG WATTANA, MEMBER OF THE NETWORK OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY ARTICLE 44
If the draft gets approved, Article 44, which gives Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, as head of the National Council for Peace and Order, sweeping powers, will automatically remain.
The PM will continue enforcing Article 44 to handle different issues. However, the excessive use of this power apparently will affect people’s way of life and environment. For instance, the premier has allowed an exemption in city-planning laws for gas plants in reserved agriculture zones in Chachoengsao province. More and more people and areas will be damaged due to this.
AKKANUT WANTANASOMBUT, INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER
I think as a member of the middle class, the new charter will not affect my personal life because I, like other middle-class people, am self-reliant. However, the bureaucratic and centralised system under the new charter will devalue participation in politics at the grassroots level.
SootinClaimon.Com 