2007 Constitution of Thailand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A Permanent Constitution for the Kingdom of Thailand was drafted by a committee established by the military junta that abrogated the previous 1997 Constitution

1997 Constitution of Thailand

For legal and historical context, see the Constitutions of Thailand articlethumb|275px|Bangkok's [[Democracy Monument, Bangkok|Democracy Monument]]: a representation of the 1932 Constitution sits on top of two golden offering bowls above a turret....

. On August 19, 2007, a referendum

Thai constitutional referendum, 2007

A referendum on the new constitution was held in Thailand on 19 August 2007. Had the draft been rejected, the military government would have had the freedom to choose any previous constitution to adapt and promulgate instead...

was held in which 59.3% of the voters voted in favor of the constitution. The current constitution succeeded the former supreme law of Thailand, the 2006 Interim Constitution

2006 Interim Constitution of Thailand

The 2006 Interim Charter of Thailand was drafted by the Council for Democratic Reform after it seized power from the government of Thaksin Shinawatra in the 2006 Thailand coup...

.

The military junta-appointed Constitution Drafting Assembly unanimously approved the draft in July 2007, despite a lot of public controversy about several clauses. The junta passed a law making it illegal to publicly criticize the draft. The junta also ran a successful promotion campaign leading up to the referendum.

2006 Interim constitution

On September 19, 2006, a military junta seized power from the interim caretaker government of Thaksin Shinawatra

Thaksin Shinawatra

Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....

and abrogated the Constitution of Thailand

1997 Constitution of Thailand

. It later established an interim constitution

2006 Interim Constitution of Thailand

The 2006 Interim Charter of Thailand was drafted by the Council for Democratic Reform after it seized power from the government of Thaksin Shinawatra in the 2006 Thailand coup...

which specified a process for drafting the permanent constitution. The interim constitution:

Prohibits the 100 members of the Constitution Drafting Council from being current members of a political party or being members of a political party for the previous 2 years (Art. 19)
Spells out the peer-vote of a 2,000 member National Assembly to elect 200 candidates for the Constitutional Drafting Council. Each member can vote for no more than three members, those nominated with the most votes will win. In the case of tied votes, which result in more than 200 winners, the winners will be decided by drawing lots. The peer-vote must complete in seven days (Art. 22).
Empowers the Council of National Security to pick 100 of 200 CDC candidates for royal approval (Art. 22).
Empowers the Council of National Security to appoint a 100 member CDC if the National Assembly fails to complete its selection within 7 days (Art. 23)
Empowers the 100 CDC members to appoint 25 members of a Drafting Committee who may not be CDC members. The CNS will appoint another 10 members. (Art. 25)
Forces the Drafting Committee to explain the differences between its draft and the 1997 Constitution. Forces the Committee to present drafts to major state agencies and universities. Forces the Committee to promote and hold public hearings (Art. 26).
Allows half the members of the National Assembly to submit amendments to the constitution (Art. 27)
Gives the Drafting Committee 30 days to compile feedback and amendments and compile a report stating why such amendments were accepted or rejected. The report will be presented to the CDC for review along with the constitution for approval. Further amendments require a vote of 3/5's the membership of the CDC (Art. 28)
Sets the 180-day deadline to complete the charter drafting before organising the referendum on the new charter within 30 days. The referendum will be managed by the CDC (Art. 29)
Sets the 45-day deadline for the drafting of organic laws and bans the chairman of the Council of National Security, members of the National Legislative Assembly and those involved in charter writing from contesting the general election and the senatorial race for two years (Art. 30)
Allows the National Assembly and Cabinet, chaired by the CNS Chairman, to select any previous constitution and revise it for use if the Drafting Committee's draft is not approved by public referendum or the CDC does not approve the constitution (Art. 32)

Criticism of the drafting process

The drafting process met harsh public criticism. Key concerns included:

The lack of controls for the drafting of a permanent constitution. Under Interim Constitution articles 19 and 21, the CNS would appoint a 2000-member National Assembly which would in 7 days have to select 200 of its members to be candidates for the Constitution Drafting Assembly. Under charter articles 22 and 24, the CNS would select 100 of those candidates for royal appointment to the Assembly; it would also select the Assembly head. The Assembly would then appoint 25 of its members as constitution writers, with the CNS directly appointing 10 writers. This process effectively gave the junta complete control over the permanent constitution.
The lack of controls to prevent members of the CNS, its panels, or its committees from running in future elections. Under charter article 30, only the head of the CNS is banned.
The use of an old charter if the permanent constitution not completed by a CNS-set deadline. The specific charter to revert to was not specified - the CNS and the Cabinet would choose which of Thailand's 16 previous charters to use. Many critics called for the use of the 1997 Constitution.

Banjerd Singkhaneti, of Thammasat University

Thammasat University

Thammasat University , or in brief TU , is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, University of Moral Science and Politics , reflecting the political fervor of the time...

, noted of the process for drafting a permanent constitution, "I think it will be a mess and the next constitution will be just that." Charoen Khumpeeraparp, of Silpakorn University

Silpakorn University

Silpakorn University is a well-known public university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Italian-born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name Silpa Bhirasri when he became a Thai citizen. It is the leading Thai university in the fine arts and archaeology,...

, criticized the charter for protecting human rights according to commitments made under international treaties, claiming that it would not allow persecution of figures in the deposed government. Charoen claimed that no other countries let international commitments influence their local laws.

However, the draft interim charter did call for one democratic innovation: it required that a permanent constitution would have to be ratified by public referendum. This innovation was suggested in the draft 1974 Constitution, but was rejected by the royally-appointed Constitutional Convention. Nonetheless, the referendum proposal too has been condemned, as if the draft is rejected then under section 32 of the interim charter it is returned to the junta, which will write a constitution of its own in consultation with the Council of Ministers.

Khomsan Phokhong, of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University or STOU is one of the two open universities in Thailand.-History:...

, demanded greater public participation in the charter-drafting process as well as restrictions against participation by members and affiliates of the Thai Rak Thai

Thai Rak Thai

The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...

party. Somkhid Lertphaithoon, Deputy Rector of Thammasat University

Thammasat University

, demanded that the junta directly appoint 100 members to the Constitution Drafting Assembly rather than rely on a 2000-member National Assembly. He also called the interim constitution the best of its kind although he was disappointed it did not include a mission statement.

Somchai Siripreechakul, Dean of Law at Chiang Mai University

Chiang Mai University

Chiang Mai University is a public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964 with a strong emphasis on engineering, science, and agriculture. Its instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education offered through resident instruction...

, urged Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont

Surayud Chulanont

General Surayud Chulanont is a Thai political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Thailand and head of Thailand's Interim Government between 2006 and 2008...

to call a general election as soon as possible and hand the task of drafting a charter to the elected parliament.

Among human rights groups, the Hong Kong-based regional body the Asian Human Rights Commission

Asian Human Rights Commission

The Asian Human Rights Commission is an independent, non-governmental body, which seeks to promote greater awareness and realisation of human rights in the Asian region, and to mobilise Asian and international public opinion to obtain relief and redress for the victims of human rights violations...

has issued a series of statements condemning the interim charter as a work of "constitutional fiction".

Federation for Democracy chairman Weng Tojirakarn called the new constitution as, "a joke drafted by a council of puppets."

With the draft facing mounting criticism, Premier Surayud promised that if the draft were approved on 19 August, he would hold national elections as early as 25 November 2007 (instead of September, as promised immediately after the coup, or late December, as later promised by the junta).

Junta guidelines

In December, junta chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin

Sonthi Boonyaratglin

General Sonthi Boonyaratglin is former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army and former head of the Council for National Security, the military junta that ruled the kingdom. He is the first Muslim in charge of the mostly Buddhist army...

issued several guidelines for the permanent constitution being drafted by the CNS's drafting body. These included:

Restricting a Prime Minister to serving a maximum of two terms of office
Preventing a government from acting as a caretaker administration after dissolving Parliament.
Making it easier to launch a no-confidence debate against the Prime Minister. Whereas the 1997 Constitution required 200 out of the House's 500 MPs to launch a no-confidence debate against the Prime Minister, Sonthi demanded that 100 MPs be sufficient.

He also made several suggestions, including:

Transforming the Senate from an all-elected body in order to prevent relatives of politicians from being elected and thus perverting the non-partisan intent of the 1997 Constitution.
Allowing politicians to switch political parties at any time. The 1997 Constitution required that any candidate for the House belong to a political party for 90 days before the registration date for an election.
Banning the merger of political parties.

He also suggested that the term in office of village heads and kamnan

Kamnan

A kamnan is a Thai governing official at the tambon level. It is usually translated as "subdistrict headman".The position of a kamnan was introduced with the thesaphiban administrative reforms at the end of the 19th century, first enacted in 1892. On of the village elders of the muban...

be increased from 5 years to 10 years, while the role of elected tambon

Tambon

Tambon is a local government unit in Thailand. Below district and province , they form the third administrative subdivision level. As of the 2009 there are 7255 tambon, not including the 169 khwaeng of Bangkok, which are set at the same administrative level, thus every district contains 8-10 tambon...

administrative organisations be reduced.

Sonthi later denied dictating the content for the new constitution, but stated "We can't force them to do things but responsible people will know what the constitution should look like."

General Saprang Kalayanamitr

Saprang Kalayanamitr

General Saprang Kalayanamitr is a retired officer of the Royal Thai Army, Assistant Secretary-General of the Council for National Security, Commander of the junta's 14,000-man anti-protest force, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airports of Thailand , and also Chairman of the Boards of TOT...

, junta assistant secretary-general, noted that military coups against the government "should never be ruled out." The abrogated 1997 constitution

1997 Constitution of Thailand

had outlawed coups.

Despite repeated denials from the junta, public opinion persisted that the junta would enable their post-election grip on power via the clauses of the new constitution.

Initial selection

In December, the 2,000-member junta-appointed National Assembly elected 200 of its members as candidates for the Constitution Drafting Assembly. The voting was fraught with irregularities. The candidate with the highest number of votes was Okas Tepalakul from Chachoengsao province, a virtually unknown car dealership owner who was a former classmate of junta-head Sonthi Boonyaratglin

Sonthi Boonyaratglin

. BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

Thailand executive Pharani Leenuthapong received the second highest number of votes. The controversial selection also saw Suwit Pipatwilaikul, a little-known Nong Bua Lamphu

Nongbua Lamphu Province

Nong Bua Lam Phu is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and Loei.-History:...

construction contractor who received the third highest number of votes. There were no representatives of farmers or workers in the final selection. Of the 200 final nominees, the nominee that received the lowest number of votes received just 7 votes. Assembly-member Maj Pol Gen Krerk Kalayanimitr claimed that some votes may have been bought. Of the 200 nominees, 74 were public sector bureaucrats, 34 were academics, 38 were from the social sector, and 54 were from the private sector.

The voting itself was full of irregularities. Members were lobbied in front of toilets and many Assembly-members marked their ballots before entering the polling booths (Normally, voters are handed ballot papers only when they enter the booth). A soldier guarding the entrance to the Parliament stopped a woman carrying 400,000 baht in cash. She refused to say why she was carrying so much money.

Of the 200 shortlisted nominees, 100 were approved by the junta to act as potential constitution drafters. The 100 included prominent anti-Thaksin critics like Chirmsak Pinthong, Karun Sai-ngarm, and Klanarong Chanthik. Among those approved were several who had received the lowest number of votes from the CDA (7), including Phisit Lee-Atham, Wichai Roobkhamdee, Wicha Mahakhun, and Apichart Damdee. The three approved who received the greatest number of votes were Okart Tepalakul, Uthit Chuchuey, and Wuthisarn Tanchai.

Former Thammasat University

Thammasat University

Rector Noranit Sethabutra was unanimously voted president of the Constitution Drafting Assembly. Two other candidates, Sawat Chotipanich and Charun Pakdithanakul, were also nominated for the post, but withdrew their candidacies. Noranit pledged to complete drafting the new within 180 days.

Qualifications controversy

Members of the Constitution Drafting Committee selected by the 100-member CDA were required to be either a professor or have held a position equivalent to director-general, or former senator or member of Parliament. This requirement met with vocal opposition among some members of the CDA. However, CDA Chairperson Noranit Sethabutra gained a consensus among the CDA's 100 members that there was no time to rewrite qualification requirements. He said the 6-month timeframe set down by the junta for producing a new constitution meant there was no time to amend the decree, which would require Cabinet approval and the King's signature. Dissenting CDA-member Karun Sai-ngam noted, "The CDA is neglecting an important matter and in the future people will say, 'Look what the CDA did. It merely closed its eyes and ears [and didn't oppose it]'." Sawaek Chinkool noted, "That's what they told us [to do]. We have been raped and we must accept it."

Direct CNS appointees

The junta directly appointed 10 drafters to join the Constitution Drafting Assembly. They included anti-Thaksin activist and former National Security Council head Prasong Soonsiri

Prasong Soonsiri

Prasong Soonsiri is a Thai politician, and former Royal Thai Air Force squadron leader, Thai Foreign Minister, and head of the Thai National Security Council. Prasong has been a long-time critic of Thaksin Shinawatra since Thaksin's entry into politics in 1994...

, judge advocate-general Attaporn Charoenpanit, Montri Sri-iamsa-ard, Atchaporn Charuchinda, Supot Kaimuk, legal expert Thongtong Chandrangsu, Detudom Krairit, Thanaboon Chiranuwat, Vichit Wichaisarn and Kanchanarat Leewirot. Prasong Soonsiri was later chosen to lead the drafting group.

Religion

Drafters came under pressure from religious groups to name Buddhism as the national religion. Over 300,000 signed a petition in an attempt to sway the Commission, and the leader of a Buddhist group threatened that Buddhists would reject the draft constitution in a public referendum if their demands were not met.

Human rights

The National Human Rights Commission requested to present suggestions on what human rights clauses would be enshrined in the new constitution, but the request was rejected by the drafters. CDC chairman Prasong Soonsiri claimed that the Commission had "no time to listen to everyone." CDC member Pairoj Phromsarn claimed "there will be no end" to deliberation if everyone were allowed to give suggestions.

Prime Minister

The CDC announced that future prime ministers and Cabinet members should be barred from running the country in a caretaker capacity after the dissolution of the House of Representatives. An interim administration, under a person not formally titled prime minister to avoid legal confusion, will be selected by the Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Court and Constitution Tribunal. In justifying the move, Vicha Mahakun, one CDC drafter, noted that politicians were like "hungry tigers, so are we really going to allow them to stay on [after House dissolution]? The country is already in a bad way." The proposal was attacked by several party leaders, including Thai Rak Thai Party caretaker executive Veera Musigapong, who noted that "They [the junta] hope that the next government will be a coalition and they can manage to be the leader of the coalition."

CDC Chairman Prasong Soonsiri supported a proposal that would not require that Prime Ministers be elected Members of Parliament. CDC member Sriracha Charoenpanich, who was the main proponent for the clause, insisted that as many as 50% of the CDC supported the move. He insisted that he was not defending the junta's interests. The clause was supported by General Somjet Boonthanom, head of the CNS Secretariat, since it provided "a good way out" for political crises. Several notable figures attacked the clause as being undemocratic, including CDA member Noranit Sethabutr, political scientist Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, Campaign for Popular Democracy deputy secretary-general Somkuan Promthong, Democrat party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban

Suthep Thaugsuban

Suthep Thaugsuban is a Thai politician, and Member of Parliament for Surat Thani province...

, and Thai Rak Thai

Thai Rak Thai

party caretaker leader Chaturon Chaisang. Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said that efforts to include the clause "created public mistrust in the government."

Parliamentary representation

The CDC announced that it would adopt a multi-seat constituency system for the House of Representatives, which would give each province at least three Members of Parliament. The system was used in the general election in 1995, while the 1997 constitution

1997 Constitution of Thailand

called for single-seat constituencies. A proportional representation system was announced, with 320 constituency MPs and 80 party-list MPs.

Senate

The CDC's sub-panel on political institutions, chaired by Jarun Pukditanakul, concluded that the next constitution, the Senate would not be an elected body. The new Senate's 160 members would be selected via a national selection committee as well as provincial selection committees in each of the 75 provinces nationwide (not including Bangkok). Each provincial committee would name a list of 10 candidates, which would be narrowed down to one by the national committee. A Senator for Bangkok would be selected directly by a national selection committee. The Election Commission would be responsible for selecting the remaining 84 Senators.

The CDC formally recommended that senators be appointed, claiming that it would solve the problem of nepotism

Nepotism

Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....

. The recommendation was criticized by both the Democrat and Thai Rak Thai parties.

Drafters defended the move to appoint senators. In a public hearing, former judge Wicha Mahakhun claimed that,
The former judge further claimed that the King placed his trust in the judiciary's proposed role in appointing the Senate, noting that "On April 9 [2006], His Majesty told the judges to perform their duties firmly and without caring what others might say. His Majesty said if the courts did not support good people, society could not survive. His Majesty said it was most imperative [for judges] to ensure justice. Even HM the King places trust in the judges; would you condemn them? The country collapsed because politicians played politics without principle, but these people [who want elected senators] have never learned from the [country's] crisis."

Other members of the judiciary rejected the proposal. Supreme Court Judge Wattanachai Chotechootrakul, chairman of the courts' committee reviewing the constitution draft, convened a meeting of concerned judges. The meeting concluded it was not the duty of judges to make political appointments. "It is inappropriate to make judges become involved [in politics] because it will lead to loss of independence and fairness of the courts," said Srawuth Benjakul, Deputy Secretary of the Office of the Courts of Justice and the courts' spokesperson. He said that assigning the courts to select leading members of so-called independent organisations would make the courts lose their impartiality.

Local administration

Village headmen and kamnan
Kamnan
A kamnan is a Thai governing official at the tambon level. It is usually translated as "subdistrict headman".The position of a kamnan was introduced with the thesaphiban administrative reforms at the end of the 19th century, first enacted in 1892. On of the village elders of the muban...

requested that the CDC amend the law to permit them to remain in their post, once elected, until they reached 60 years of age. At the time, those who held the position had a term of 5 years. The Nakhon Ratchasima association of village headmen and kamnan headed the delegation of local administrative leaders. The association claimed that the current five year term allowed "troublemakers" like drug dealers to interfere with matters of local administration.

Amnesty for coup leaders

Constitution Drafting Committee Chairman Prasong Soonsiri asked the CDC to ensure that the military was given amnesty from prosecution. No previous permanent constitution contained clauses giving amnesty for rebellion. Prasong noted that "If staging a coup is wrong under the new charter, will the Council for National Security (CNS) be tried in a military court, or what? It won't be fair to them if, after the charter is adopted, they all ended up going to jail." CDC member and permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice Charan Phakdithanakul, agreed, noting that unless a clause was written in the new constitution to recognise the junta's action as legal, people could use a loophole to launch a lawsuit against the junta after the 2006 Interim Constitution expired. Charan said the clause should not specifically mention the Council for National Security.

Others

The CDA gave the Supreme Court-appointed Election Commission power to control a caretaker government concerning major decisions, including the appointment or dismissal of state or state enterprise officials, approval of government payments, and the use of government resources or personnel to that could directly or indirectly affect election results. The clause was suggested by CDA member Pichien Amnajworaprasert, who claimed that Cabinet members, whose term is ended with House dissolution, do not need to stay on as caretaker ministers because they could abuse power to benefit their election campaigns.

Thai Rak Thai party

The Thai Rak Thai party had several major objections to the draft constitution.

It disagreed with an appointed Senate, claiming that it reflected a condescending view of the electorate.
It disagreed with Article 299, which provided amnesty to the military junta for staging the September coup.
It disagreed with Article 173, which forbade ministers who are MPs from voting for a Prime Minister facing a censure motion, claiming that it undermined the authority of elected politicians.
It disagreed with Articles 257 and 259, which barred politicians from interfering in the work of bureaucrats, claiming that it would make it difficult for governments to implement their policies.
It noted fear of a return to bureaucratic rule in government, with too much power handed to officials and the courts.

A junta-appointed court later terminated the party and banned its entire executive team of over a hundred from politics for 5 years.

Democrat Party

The Democrat Party supported the draft constitution. Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva

Abhisit Vejjajiva

Abhisit Vejjajiva , , ; born Mark Abhisit Vejjajiva; 3 August 1964 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a Thai politician who was the 27th Prime Minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011 and is the current leader of the Democrat Party...

said the Democrat Party considered the new constitution similar to the 1997 Constitution, but with improvements. "If we wanted to please the Council for National Security we would reject the draft so it could pick a charter of its own choosing. If we reject the draft, it will be like handing out power to the Council. We have come up with this stand because we care about the national interest and want democracy to be restored soon," he said. Acknowledging the flaws of the new Constitution, Abhisit has also proposed, along with asking for cooperation from other political parties, to amend the Constitution once he is in power.

Junta campaigning

The Committee on Information and Public Dissemination of the Constitution Drafting Assembly led an advertising campaign to persuade voters to favour the draft constitution. Media used included all television, cable and radio stations, websites, print media outlets, government agencies, education institutions, billboards and places where crowds gather. All state-run schools and universities were involved in the campaign. Spots were aired from 6 am until 10 pm with the message "Approve: New Constitution, close to the people". Billboards saying, "Love the King. Care about the King. Vote in a referendum. Accept the 2007 draft charter." were placed throughout the Northeast.

The junta's propaganda

Propaganda

Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....

campaign was criticized. "Broadcasting media under the control of the army and certain television stations have been misused by the state to convey false messages to persuade people to endorse the draft 2007 constitution," a statement issued by Midnight University said. The junta then agreed to a debate regarding the draft, but refused to air the debate on television, because it would create confusion among the public. A debate was later aired on Nation Channel, a subscription-only cable channel, rather than on one of the government-owned free-to-air channels.

In late July, General Sonthi said that if the draft constitution failed the referendum, the junta would modify the 1997 Constitution for permanent use. He also said that an election would definitely be held within 2007.

The government printed 19 million copies of the draft for public distribution prior to the referendum. However, none of the copies contained a translation into Malay, preventing people in the Malay-speaking southern provinces of Thailand from understanding the contents of the draft constitution. Despite this, eighteen Islamic organisations declared that they will accept a draft constitution and called for Muslims to also accept the draft.

Gen Sonthi has also ordered the Internal Security Operations Command

Internal Security Operations Command

The Internal Security Operations Command is a unit of the Thai military devoted to national security issues. It was responsible for suppression of leftist groups during the 1970s and 1980s during which it was implicated in numerous atrocities against activists and civilians. The modern ISOC was...

(ISOC) to use its 700,000 nationwide staff to "promote proper understanding of the constitution" among rural people. ISOC spokesman Colonel Thanathip Sawangsaeng said provincial ISOC chiefs will use door-to-door tactics in their campaign to "educate" people so they will not be "tricked" into rejecting the draft. It was also revealed that the ISOC started their draft constitution "education" campaign in February, even before the draft constitution had been completed.

The junta also announced that it would transport people to voting stations on the date of the referendum. Interior Minister Aree Wongaraya insisted that it was not illegal for the Ministry to do so, adding that Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has given his consent. In elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Election Act states that it is a criminal offence to provide free transport for voters.

The junta's referendum campaign reached a peak in the final week before the referendum. On Sunday 12 August, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont led cabinet ministers, senior government officials, and 100,000 people dressed in yellow from 17 central provinces in a rally from the Royal Plaza to Democracy Monument. Similar rallies were organised simultaneously in several other major provinces. Former Thai Rak Thai member Kuthep Saikrajang claimed that people at the rally were paid between 100 and 300 Baht each to join the rally. He also claimed that the government had arranged transport to bring the people to Bangkok.

The Election Commission supported the junta's campaign. EC member Sumet Upanisakorn denied that the government acted illegally by summoning villagers to take part in a parades to accept the draft charter.

Restrictions against campaigning to reject the draft

The junta passed a law that made criticism of the draft and opposition to the constitutional referendum a criminal act. Political parties were not allowed to persuade voters to cast ballots in favour or not in favour of the constitution. Any violators could be banned from politics for 5 years and jailed for 10 years.

The restrictions against opposition to the draft were criticized by human rights bodies. “Even if amended to allow for ‘factual’ campaigning on the referendum, it is clear that the main purpose of the law is to intimidate and silence persons who don’t share the official view,” the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said. “Meanwhile the administration is pumping vast amounts of money into Yes propaganda that is set to increase quickly.”

The ban against campaigning against the constitution was enforced. In July, 20 soldiers and 10 policemen raided the house of a politician and seized anti-charter t-shirts, banners, documents, and recorded speeches. Police also raided the Duang Prateep Foundation of former Senator Prateep Ungsongtham Hata

Prateep Ungsongtham Hata

Prateep Ungsongtham Hata is a Thai activist noted for her work with slum dwellers in the Khlong Toey district of Bangkok, Thailand. A former Senator for Bangkok, she was awarded the 1978 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service. She is Secretary General of the Duang Prateep Foundation.- Life...

and confiscated 4,000 posters which carried the message “It’s not illegal to vote against the draft constitution.” No charges were filed. The police claimed they were acting on orders from the military. “They could not cite any law to back up their actions,” said Sombat Boon-ngam-anong. Prateep filed a complaint with the police, claiming that they had committed an “unlawful” act, citing her human rights under the abrogated 1997 constitution.

The junta also claimed to the public that general democratic elections would only occur if the draft were approved. Defense Minister Boonrawd Somtas told reporters that an election “can take place only if the new constitution passes the referendum,” implying that a a "No" would result in indefinite military rule.

Taxi-drivers were banned from putting anti-draft bumper stickers on their vehicles.

Interior minister Aree Wong-Arya has warned those campaigning against the draft by distributing leaflets to voters that they will be severely punished if there is proof against them.

On 11 August in Kamphaeng Phet province

Kamphaeng Phet Province

Kamphaeng Phet is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phichit, Nakhon Sawan and Tak.- Etymology :...

, military officers raided a shop printing leaflets that attacked the draft. Eight boxes of leaflets and the printing press were seized for investigation. The raid was conducted under a government Emergency Decree.

At the time of the referendum, martial law was in place in 35 provinces, intimidating those who wished to campaign against the draft.

Accusations of vote-buying

Prime Minister Surayud accused people in the Northeast of taking bribes to vote against the charter. He did not display any evidence to support his accusation or file charges against the people he claimed took or paid the money.

Constitution drafter Prasong Soonsiri and Prime Minister's Office Minister Thirapat Serirangsan both accused former members of the Thai Rak Thai party of buying "no" votes. Neither offered any evidence. The Election Commission urged Prasong to reveal the identity of the alleged vote-buyers and to file charges. Prasong refused to do so.
Democrat Party Deputy Leader Vitoon Namabutr claimed that former members of the Thai Rak Thai party were bribing people to vote against the draft with compact discs and shirts. He also did not display any evidence or file charges.

Former leaders of the Thai Rak Thai party denied the accusations.

The accusations were criticized by Matichon, which noted in an editorial that, "Members of the public are at a loss. They don't know whether real attempts are being made to sink the charter, or is it all part of a smear campaign."

Criticisms of the referendum

The campaigning process leading to the referendum was harshly criticized. Giles Ji Ungpakorn of Chulalongkorn University

Chulalongkorn University

Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...

noted that,
In an editorial, the Bangkok Post noted,

External links

Draft Constitution B.E. 2550 (2007)(Referendum Version) Official Translation by the Council of State.
Vitit Muntarbhorn, Deconstructing Thailand's (New) Eighteenth Constitution
AsianLII Unofficial translation

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

2006 Interim constitution

Criticism of the drafting process

Junta guidelines

Initial selection

Qualifications controversy

Direct CNS appointees

Religion

Human rights

Prime Minister

Parliamentary representation

Senate

Local administration

Amnesty for coup leaders

Others

Thai Rak Thai party

Democrat Party

Junta campaigning

Restrictions against campaigning to reject the draft

Accusations of vote-buying

Criticisms of the referendum

See also

External links