Meanwhile, the red shirts requested the court to decide within seven days whether to accept the agency’s petition for judicial review.

Officials from the Ombudsman’s Office submitted its petition to the court, seeking a ruling as to whether the second paragraph of Article 61 violates Article 4 of the interim charter’s guarantee of freedom of expression.

The clause in question prohibits dissemination of untrue, provocative, vulgar and aggressive messages through print and electronic media or other channels that could incite unrest.

Article 4 of the provisional charter states that “all human dignity, rights, liberties and equality of the people protected by the constitutional convention, and by international obligations bound by Thailand, shall be protected and upheld by this Constitution”.

Ombudsman’s Office secretary general Raksagecha Chaechai said he expected the court to make its ruling as soon as possible.

Leaders of the red shirts’ United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) yesterday also went to the Constitutional Court and asked for a court decision within seven days as to whether to review the Ombudsman’s Office petition.

They also urged the relevant state agencies involved with holding the referendum to wait until the court has its verdict about this case.

[Referendum explained]

UDD chairman Jatuporn Prompan yesterday called on the court to make its verdict as soon as possible. He said if that ruling comes out shortly before the referendum on August 7, it could affect the vote plan.

“If the verdict comes out after August 7, the referendum may be void,” he said, adding that the latest move by the red shirts was not aimed at pressing the court.

He called on the Constitutional Court to make a clear verdict as to whether the referendum can go ahead if the clause in question is constitutional.

Constitutional Court secretary-general Pimol Thampitakpong said yesterday that he would table this petition for the judges’ meeting as soon as possible. However, he was unsure whether the judges would discuss about this matter later this week.

“The judges have been aware of this petition already. But I can’t tell if this matter will be discussed at the judges meeting this week. We will do it as soon as possible,” he said.

The Election Commission is ready to testify before court about the referendum law, EC member Somchai Srisuthiyakorn said yesterday.

The legislation was drafted by the EC.

However, Somchai said the relevant agencies could not postpone the referendum, as suggested by the red shirt, because the law has remained in effect. “We may be sued for dereliction of duty,” he added.

He also said if the court rules that the referendum law is unconstitutional, it must be amended accordingly.

The batch consists of 100,000 copies of the document, with 50,000 given to the CDC and the NLA each for further distribution at “democratic promotion” centres, EC deputy secretary-general Thanit Sriprathet said. He took the media on a tour of the EC’s printing house in Pathum Thani yesterday.

Each package has four documents including a complete draft of the constitution, two summaries and an explanation on the NLA’s extra question regarding senators’ role in selecting a prime minister.

About 900,000 more copies of the package are being prepared for nationwide distribution next month, the deputy secretary-general |said.

Another 17 million booklets summarising content of the charter draft and explaining the NLA’s additional question, as well as information relating to the referendum process, will be distributed to voters 15 days before the August 7 vote.

The total cost of the operation would be Bt30 million less than the EC had estimated earlier, Thanit said. Voters have more than one month to study the constitution before the referendum takes place, he said.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s digital television association submitted a letter to Election Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn asking for details about when EC-sponsored programmes regarding the referendum and the constitution should be aired.

13-episode series

The EC earlier announced it would produce a 13-episode public relations series to be aired from 6.20pm to 6.50pm on Monday and Wednesday on every TV channel starting on |June 27.

However, the association expressed concern that airing the programme at the same time on all channels would limit people’s exposure as they could be occupied during that window of time.

The association has asked that channels have the discretion to select the programming slots on their own.

In a related development, the CDC has instructed officials from the Interior Ministry to postpone training sessions for district-level volunteers, known as the “Kru Khoh” or “Teacher B” group, pending instructions.

However, the training must still be completed by June 7, CDC spokesman Chatchai na Chiangmai said.