Protesters with the People’s Alliance for Democracy were violently dispersed from outside Parliament in October 2008, leading to a charge by the NACC against the then prime minister and his deputy, plus two senior police chiefs, for alleged malfeasance. Two people were killed and more than 300 injured, including police.

Those charged were former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, former National Police chief Pol General Patcharawat Wongsuwan and ex-Bangkok police chief Pol Lt-General Suchart Muankaew.

The case is with the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders.

The defendants recently submitted additional evidence to the NACC, asking it to withdraw the court case.

Watcharapol confirmed that the anti-graft agency was still considering the evidence, and had yet to reach any conclusion.

One of the defendants, Patcharawat, is Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan’s brother. The deputy PM reportedly backed Watcharapol as the new NACC chairman, leading to speculation by some observers that nepotism could be at play.

Anti-corruption activist Veera Somkwamkid has threatened to sue the NACC if it drops the case.

‘Critical case’

Watcharapol said the NACC was authorised to consider whether the case should be withdrawn from the court, but he said it would depend on the new evidence – if it carries enough weight for theNACC to consider doing that.

Watcharapol said the NACC had assigned officials to study the evidence and they would report back to the commission.

“We are fully aware that this case is critical and we must be able to answer to the public on whether to proceed with the case. So we must pursue it with utmost righteousness and professionalism,” the NACC chief said.

Watcharapol said the defendants could also file a petition to ask the court to withdraw the case, but that would be the court’s business – it had nothing to do with the NACC proceedings, as they were different institutions.

The NACC, he said, would pursue the case after a lawful legal assessment.

“Considering the legal aspect, we can withdraw the case, but with what reasons is rather a bigger issue that we need to consider carefully,” he said.

“I will not let this happen because it is illegal. I have warned the NACC that I will take drastic measures. I have completed writing the lawsuit,” he said.

Those involved in the case include former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, former National Police chief Pol General Patcharawat Wongsuwan and ex-Bangkok Police chief Pol Lt-General Suchart Muankaew.

The NACC had earlier filed a suit against them at the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division of Political Office Holders for alleged malfeasance over the crackdown on the yellow-shirt People’s Alliance for Democracy. The case is under trial.

“If I file the suit against the NACC, not only the NACC will be in jeopardy, but the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] who is behind the move [to drop the case] will also be in the soup. Everybody knows that Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan is backing Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit for the position of NACC chairman so he can help his brother Patcharawat fight this case. If the NACC drops the case, the society will no longer trust the NCPO, which brought down the last government, because it will show them as colluding,” he said.

“If the case is dropped, the justice system will be destroyed. The law will no longer be sacred,” he said.

The NACC is considering withdrawing the case after the defendants filed a petition saying they had new evidence and were asking the anti-graft agency to drop the case.

The NACC met before the Songkran holiday and voted six to one ruling that the agency has the legal right to withdraw the case.

The agency assigned NACC secretary-general Sansern Polajiak to compare the case with the crackdown on the red-shirt movement in 2010. In that case, the NACC dropped a lawsuit against ex-PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, his then-deputy Suthep Thaugsuban and ex-Army chief General Anupong Paochinda.

Veera said the NACC could not compare the two cases because different laws were in effect when the incidents took place. “In 2010, there were laws [on dispersing rallies], but in 2008 no such laws were in place,” he said.

Pongsak Chanon, Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) project coordinator for Thailand, said yesterday that the organisation would assign more than 10 experts to produce analyses and reports on the campaigning and voting situation in the Kingdom. Their action plans should be concluded next week, Pongsak said.

Anfrel’s referendum observation plan has been approved by Election Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, Pongsak said.

He suggested the government should allow freer expressions on the constitution draft to truly achieve democracy after the referendum.

Sakul Suesongtham, a People’s Network for Election in Thailand committee member, said the group had thought of assigning local observers for government-organised public forums on the charter draft.

The group has not yet come up with an observation plan on the referendum as it has not heard the observation rules from the authorities yet, Sakul said.

Attasit Pankaew, Thailand Political Base chief researcher, agreed that the rules needed to be devised before interested international watchdogs could make plans.

Attasit, who is also a Thammasat University political science lecturer, commented that it was essential for people to thoroughly understand the complex draft before voting.

Charter drafters and the Election Commission (EC) need to ensure that campaigns on the draft will be free of bias, he added.

Thailand Political Base is supported by the Freidrich Naumann Foundation, a German non-profit organisation that aims to promote knowledge on civil education, democracy and human rights.

Meanwhile, the charter-opposing United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) yesterday petitioned the EC, saying it should clarify what is prohibited during the charter campaign. The EC should also allow people to express different views on the charter draft, it said.

The UDD chairman Jatuporn Prompan said the EC should be the sole authority for the referendum rather than the government speaking about what people could and could not do.

EC deputy secretary-general Metha Silaphan said related prohibitions were stated in the referendum bill draft’s Article 62, but Jatuporn argued that the article was obscurely written.

NLA and CDC forums

Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda said yesterday that nobody was allowed to influence other people’s votes, adding that they were only allowed to explain the draft charter’s contents and encourage others to cast their ballot.

The EC should have a final say on this murky issue, Anupong said, adding that the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) would educate its provincial representatives on the charter draft so they could provide information to the general public.

The CDC will brief five representatives from each province from May 14 to 15 before they teach representatives at district levels. Then four district representatives will be assigned to educate each village, the minister said. A total of 300,000 representatives will be in charge of educating and providing copies of the draft charter’s summary to local people, he said.

Meanwhile, National Legislative Assembly (NLA) member Thaweesak Suthakavathin said the NLA was considering holding public forums on the draft to address the drafters’ concerns.

Thaweesak said that separate forums could help prevent confusion between the draft’s main contents and the additional referendum question. The NLA will explain the reason behind its proposed question, while the CDC will explain the draft charter’s content.

PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday accused fugitive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra of being the mastermind behind recent political moves that have been affecting the current military-led regime.

This is the first time the general has named Thaksin, who has been living in self-exile overseas in order to escape imprisonment at home.

Prayut reacted angrily when asked to state exactly who he thinks is behind the ongoing political moves, such as widespread criticism of the draft charter and protests over the detention of Pheu Thai Party politician Watana Muangsook.

“I just said that someone is plotting and funding this. Foreign lobbyists were hired. Who can be behind all this? It is Thaksin. I could be attacked for saying this,” said Prayut, who also leads the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order.

The PM suggested that a television station linked to Thaksin and the red-shirt movement loyal to him were behind the protest led by a small group of activists this week.

He claims the protesters were taken to the protest sites in vehicles provided by the TV station and the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

Despite his physical absence from the field of politics, Thaksin is believed to have maintained influence over Pheu Thai Party, which ruled the country before the military took over in May 2014.

Apart from activists protesting against Watana’s detention, his daughter has petitioned the United Nations, the European Union and the US Embassy in Bangkok, calling on them to determine whether her father’s rights were being violated.

Prayut said yesterday that some people appeared to be doing their best to keep the country in turmoil, which he said could lead to unrest in the run-up to the referendum on the draft charter and also the next general election.

When asked if the referendum would have to be cancelled, Prayut said, “We will not hold it if it is not possible,” noting that before the military coup, political unrest had also caused a planned general election to be cancelled.

“If people start clashing again, we will be back at Square 1 and what we have done will be wasted,” he added. Prayut said it would depend on the general public if they want to allow that, adding that it was not up to his government. “My duty is to enforce the law to maintain peace and order,” he said.

Earlier, the junta had suggested that the recent political moves had been well coordinated and involved people in the same group.

Meanwhile, Thaksin’s spokesman Noppadon Patama yesterday dismissed Prayut‘s allegation that the former leader had hired lobbyists to campaign for foreign governments and organisations to act against Thailand.

Noppadon, a former legal adviser to Thaksin, issued a statement declaring that Thaksin was not behind the protests.

“Thaksin Shinawatra has not employed any lobbyists overseas,” he said. “He is not behind any government in exile.”

‘Small mouse living overseas’

He added that Thaksin “is just a small mouse living his life overseas, so he can’t have any influence on the standpoints of foreign countries and international organisations”.

Noppadon also called for “fair treatment” for Thaksin. “He has never regarded anyone as his enemy. He would like to see the country move forward and for reconciliation to take place and for Thais to become happy. He always loves and has good wishes towards Thailand and the Thai people,”Noppadon said.

In a related development, red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan yesterday rejected Prayut‘s allegation that the UDD was behind the recent protests, saying the PM appeared to have obtained inaccurate information regarding this matter. “I can insist that nobody is behind the moves being made by Watana’s daughter and the protesting students,” he said, adding that he had instructed other red-shirt leaders to keep their distance from the activists, otherwise the protesters’ credibility could be undermined.

The planned building, the first of its kind under the current military-led regime and its second structure after the installation of a giant flagpole, is now under construction.

The idea to construct the building came from Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Pranee Sripaset Sripasert, deputy secretary-general to the PM for administrative affairs, told The Nation.

“The landmark Thai Khu Fah, as well as the Santi Maitree building, have been used so much that they never get to rest for a day,” Pranee said. “So PM Prayut thought that a new building would come in [handy] to help welcome his official guests and to host events.”

To be located on an open grass field behind Thai Khu Fah, the yet-to-be-named building will consist of a lounge with capacity for 150 to 200 people. The lounge can also be divided into several compartments.

Its architectural style, Pranee added, would be in harmony with those of the principal Thai Khu Fah and Santi Maitree buildings, which adopted neo-Venetian Gothic architecture combined with Byzantine art.

And as Prayut favours dignified beauty, the Army’s post engineering department is tasked with taking care of the construction project, the deputy secretary-general said.

Government House is a historical site registered with the Fine Arts Department, so the architectural team requested its approval, which was granted.

The Fine Arts officials have examined the project to ensure the structure will not corrupt the historically rich Thai Khu Fah.

Pranee explained that the Army department had been assigned to construct the building because it could contribute decent architects to the project.

To complete its artistic sophistication, the Fine Arts Department will also take care of new decoration on both of command buildings in next month, she said.

The project will allow the other buildings to function as usual, she added, as they house a number of Cabinet-related offices.

While the exact budget for the project and its source are yet to be revealed, she said the money was spared from that of the previous governments.

The project’s details and plans, once completed, will be put on display on the construction site, possibly by next week.

Although the project stemmed from Prayut‘s idea, Pranee denied it was simply a pet project of the general-turned-prime minister.

“This is being done for a long-term purpose, indeed. He wishes that the new building will have historical value like its forebears in the compound,” she said. “He said that any succeeding prime ministers should be served with sophisticated buildings, suiting their magnificent positions.

“To me, he is very detail-oriented,” Pranee said.