On 1 November 2016, junta leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the deadline for Thailand’s draft constitution being ready for the King to sign is 9 November. After that, the King will consider the draft for another 90 days before giving his final approval, reported Matichon Online [1].
However, Prayut emphasised that the Constitutional Court will maintain the power to amend prologue charter even after the King’s signature due to the uncertain period of transition the country faces. Such changing conditions mean the King’s approval must also be liable to change.
Prayut qualified, however, that the Court is unlikely to amend key parts of the charter. He advised the public that there is no need to worry.
On 26 October, the Constitutional Court ordered the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), the junta’s charter drafter, to amend the prologue of the draft to fit the changing context after the late King’s death.
“The draft charter is problematic at its prologue section. We wrote it in a certain reign. Now the reign has been changed.” Meechai Ruchuphan, Chairman of CDC, stated on 17 October [2].
Prachatai
* Posted: Wed, 02/11/2016 - 16:12:
http://prachatai.org/english/node/6689
Man prosecuted for merely observing anti-junta’s draft charter campaign
Military court has indicted a man for allegedly participating in a campaign against the junta-backed draft charter in late June despite the fact that the man merely observed the campaign. He was later released on bail without condition.
On 1 November 2016, a military court’s prosecutor indicted Rackchart Wong-arthichart for violating the NCPO Order No. 3/2015, the junta’s ban on public assembly of five or more persons, and the controversial Referendum Act. The court accepted the case and also grated authorities a custody permission, reported Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
Rachchart, however, requested for bail and offered 50,000 baht in cash as surety. The court then released him without condition.
Rackchart was accused of participating in a campaign against the junta-sponsored draft charter on 23 June. The campaign was hosted in Samut Prakan Province by an anti-junta activist group ‘New Democracy Movement’. 13 people were arrested on that day and seven of them had been prosecuted in a military court for allegedly distributing flyers campaigning for ‘No Vote’ in the 7 August referendum.
However, Rackchart did not participate in the campaign at all. He was there just to observe the activity, according to the TLHR.
Prachatai
* Posted: Wed, 02/11/2016 - 18:33:
http://prachatai.org/english/node/6689