<p>Pressured by Buddhist groups to enshrine Buddhism as a national religion, the constitution drafters have met the demands halfway by providing mechanisms in the new draft constitution to protect Buddhism.</p> <p>On Tuesday afternoon, 29 March 2016, the junta-appointed Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) headed by Meechai Ruchuphan unveiled&nbsp;<a href="http://www.parliament.go.th/ewtcommittee/ewt/draftconstitution2/ewt_dl_link.php?nid=429&amp;filename=index">the finalised draft constitution</a>. The fate of the draft will be decided by public referendum in August.</p>

<p>UN’s human rights office has stated that people must be able to participate in the drafting process of the new constitution and that the new constitution should not provide impunity for the military government.</p>

<p>After reserving six seats in the senate for military and police chiefs, the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) revealed that the junta will get to handpick the senate selection committee members.</p> <p>Meechai Ruchuphan, President of the CDC, on Thursday, 24 March 2016, told the media that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will get to screen candidates for the committee of nine persons who will be tasked with selecting all 250 senators.</p>

<p>A Buddhist network has submitted to the charter drafters a list of 100,000 supporters of a campaign to enshrine Buddhism as the state religion, saying it will help the draft constitution to pass the referendum. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Taking in some of the junta’s suggestions to amend the draft charter, the Constitution Drafting Committee has guaranteed seats for military chiefs in the senate.</p> <p><a href="http://www.matichon.co.th/news/79620">Matichon Online&nbsp;</a>reported that Norachit Sinhaseni, spokesperson of the junta-appointed Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), announced at 4:10 pm on Tuesday, 22 March 2016, that the CDC has agreed with some of the recommendations from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) on the 2016 draft constitution.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Despite efforts by the military government to improve the appalling state of Thai education, reformers point out that the new draft constitution will plunge Thailand deeper into an education crisis.</p> <p></p>

<div>The draft charter is intended to bonsai Thailand’s democracy by weakening the majority voice in the House, academic said, adding that it is unlikely to pass in the referendum.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<p dir="ltr">Military officers intimidated a politician from Pheu Thai Party, warning him over his criticisms towards the junta, while on the same day, visiting an anti-establishment red shirt campaigning against the controversial draft charter. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Despite promises of education reform as the country ranks among the worst in the region for academic success, a youth civil society group says that Thai education will only get worse under the draft constitution.</p>

<p>The Thai police detained members of an anti-establishment red shirt group for campaigning against the controversial draft constitution.</p> <p>Police officers in plainclothes and in uniform on Sunday, 6 March 2016, detained Anurak Jentawanit, a leader of a red shirt group called ‘Ford Red Path’ and two other members of the group, at Victory Monument in central Bangkok.</p>

<p>Media experts said that the controversial draft constitution will provide the authorities with control mechanisms to keep the media at bay in the name of national security. &nbsp;</p> <p>On Friday, 26 February 2016, Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) organised a public seminar on Alternatives for Media Reform under the New Charter at the Swissôtel Le Concorde in Bangkok.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Thai Police have ordered a seminar about the new draft constitution to be aborted, saying that it is against the junta’s political gathering ban. &nbsp;</p>