2016 referendum
28 Jun 2016
Thai junta has just set a new standard of censorship after police officers confiscated anti-junta activists’ balloons and stickers campaigning for the right to campaign for the August referendum.
After seven student activists from the New Democracy Movement (NDM), a pro-democracy activist group, were arrested and later detained last week for handing out flyers campaigning to Vote No in the August referendum, they were visited by other NDM activists on Monday, 27 June 2016, at Bangkok Remand Prison, Matichon Online
28 Jun 2016
On 23 June 2016, students and a group of labor union board members campaigned around the Bang Phli Industrial Estate to disseminate information about the draft constitution and urge people to exercise their right to vote in the referendum. But soldiers and police interrupted and stopped them. They were arrested and accused of violating Head of the NCPO Order No. 3/2558 [2015] and the Referendum Act of B.E. 2559 [2016].
27 Jun 2016
The head of Thailand’s ruling junta has said that, unlike David Cameron, he will remain in power even if the August referendum rejects the constitution his administration has had drafted.
25 Jun 2016
The 13 activists arrested for campaigning about the draft charter referendum could face up to 10 years imprisonment for ‘Vote No’ campaign.
Amid presence of pro-democracy crowd in front of the courthouse, the Military Court of Bangkok at around 6:30 pm on Friday, 24 June 2016, granted to the police the custody permission to detained 13 pro-democracy activists arrested for distributing ‘Vote No’ flyers to campaign for the upcoming draft constitution referendum.
24 Jun 2016
Update: Anon Nampa, human rights lawyer, reported at 9:20 am on Friday, 24 June 2016, that the police refused to grant bail to some of the pro-democracy activists and filed an additional charge against the 13 activists for refusing to sign the police report.
22 Jun 2016
The Election Commission of Thailand has expressed concern after less than 50,000 people registered to vote outside their constituency in the upcoming charter referendum, which is a quarter of the number in the previous referendum.
On Wednesday, 22 June 2016, Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, a commissioner of the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT), told the media that only 48,050 people have registered with the ECT to vote outside their home constituency in the August referendum.
22 Jun 2016
A prominent legal officer of the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has accused leaders of the anti-establishment red shirts of violating the junta’s ban on political gatherings by opening a now-banned referendum watch centre.
21 Jun 2016
Academics and human rights advocates have demanded the authorities to amend a controversial act barring people to freely criticise the junta-sponsored draft constitution, saying that opinions from all sides are crucial for the draft charter referendum.
21 Jun 2016
Key red-shirt leaders have submitted a petition to the UN after the junta shut down their referendum monitoring centres in various provinces across the country, adding that the red shirts will invite EU delegates to participate in observing the referendum.
21 Jun 2016
Police have summoned at least ten people in the central province of Ratchaburi for allegedly violating the junta’s ban on political assemblies after they gathered for a meal at the red shirts’ referendum watch centre.
Police from Ban Pong District Police Station in Ratchaburi Province on Monday, 20 June 2016, issued warrants summoning Boribun Kiangwarangkun and at least 10 others in the district to report to the police station at 10:30 am on 26 June 2016.
20 Jun 2016
Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, has retracted his earlier statement allowing the anti-establishment red shirts’ referendum watch centres, and declared that opening such centres is prohibited.
16 Jun 2016
After prohibiting anti-establishment red shirts from opening charter referendum watch centres, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, deputy junta head and Defence Minister, has defended the use of army cadets to promote the referendum, maintaining that the authorities are not biased.
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