Thailand | PM calls Ban Ki-moon to talk about preparation for constitutional referendum

Prayut Chan-o-Cha, Prime Minister of Thailand, smiles as he arrives in New Delhi earlier in the month

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during a telephone conversation on Monday that Thailand is proceeding toward civilian rule according to its roadmap. The comment comes as the government has been accused of constraining public supervision over the coming referendum, Thai media reported yesterday.
Red-shirts, or the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), filed a complaint on Monday to the UN since their proposal to watchdog centers for the August 7 referendum on the draft constitution was blocked by the Prayut-led government.
Ban stressed that an open and inclusive debate would be essential to ensuring the legitimacy of the constitution and achieving national unity, according to a statement released by Secretary-General’s spokesperson.
Prayut said he told Ban about activities of groups with “ill intentions” toward the country and also informed him of the UDD’s petition to the UN office in Bangkok, Bangkok Post reported.
“Still, I explained to him that we have such freedom. As for the draft charter, people throughout the country have been given a chance to voice their opinions,” Prayut said.
He also told Ban about the referendum and preparations for a general election, adding that “everything is proceeding according to the roadmap.”
Ban has reaffirmed the UN’s readiness to support Thailand as the country prepares to vote on a final draft Constitution.
According to UDD leader Jatuporn Prompan, they submitted the petition because monitoring centers were opened in only 47 provinces on Sunday, while the government prevented the opening of further centers in 29 other provinces.
Asked about Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan’s suggestion that the UDD should work with the Election Commission (EC) to monitor fraud instead of setting up its own anti-fraud centers, UDD Secretary-General Nattawut Saikuar said that was not possible because the EC had never shown any intention of wanting to cooperate.
Meechai Ruchupan, chairman of Constitution Drafting Committee, asked UDD leaders not to act in a manner that would obstruct the campaign, otherwise they will violate the Referendum Act and face legal action. MDT/Xinhua