THE United Nations’ human rights chief expressed concern yesterday about the Thai government’s clampdown on critics of the draft constitution and the tight curbs on dissent, adding to mounting pressure from the international community.

Meanwhile, fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra dismissed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s claim he had hired foreign lobbyists to campaign against the Thai government.

In a Facebook message posted last night, Thaksin said the post-coup government’s image over its two years in power was poor in the eyes of the international community simply because of its severe violation of human rights and international laws.

“Instead of admitting to his fault and correcting the problem, the leader blamed me and accused me of hiring lobbyists to campaign for boycotts of Thailand,” he said.

Punitive action against Thailand came after the government refused to heed warnings from foreign countries and international groups, Thaksin said. He also criticised General Prayut‘s frequent moody reactions to reporters’ questions. “If he can’t control himself, do not expect the majority of the country to agree with him,” Thaksin said.

“No lobbyists in the world could destroy you as effectively as you are destroying yourself,” he said.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said in his statement that several critics of the draft charter have been arbitrarily arrested, detained and harassed since the draft was made public at the end of March.

He noted the detention of Pheu Thai politician Watana Muangsook and Tuesday’s arrest of five protesters for criticising the draft charter. They have since been released. Zeid expressed particular concern that the crackdown on criticism could intensify following hardline comments by GeneralPrayut and other senior government figures.

The UN human rights chief called for an open and dynamic public debate on the draft constitution, which he said “would foster national unity, strengthen the legitimacy and acceptance of the constitution and provide a sense of collective ownership”. “I urge the government to actively encourage, rather than discourage, dialogue and engagement on the draft constitution. This would be an important step in establishing a solid foundation for a sustainable democracy in Thailand,” Zeid said.

He also voiced concern over the military’s deep role in politics through new laws and orders. “Extending the military’s powers is not the answer to rebuilding Thailand’s political landscape. On the contrary, Thailand has competent civilian institutions and should be looking to strengthen the rule of law and good governance, not undermine it.”

His comments came as the Referendum Act on the Draft Constitution was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday. The new law comes into effect today.

The 66-article law empowers the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) to disseminate information about the draft charter, and not the Election Commission, as suggested in the original bill drafted by the EC.

In the law, the term “campaign” in the original draft is replaced by the term “dissemination of opinions”.

Causing unrest in the run-up to the referendum – tentatively scheduled for August 7 – and campaigning in a violent and aggressive way will be considered a violation of the referendum law. Violators could face up to 10 years in jail, plus a fine of up to Bt200,000 and deprivation of voting rights for 10 years.

With the referendum law taking effect today, CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan will ask GeneralPrayut in writing on Monday to instruct state agencies to help the commission in disseminating information about the draft constitution, a spokesman said yesterday. Meechai earlier expressed concern for the safety of CDC officials working on spreading information about the draft charter.

The Election Commission also plans to issue guidelines for implementation by all sides involved in the referendum on the new charter, EC member Pravich Rattanapian said yesterday. He said the list would include “do’s and don’ts”. There would also be caution about certain acts that were not downright illegal but could lead to legal action. He expressed confidence that if the guidelines were followed, the referendum would go ahead without any serious incident.