<p>A police officer has intimidated a student activist from Ramkhamhaeng University over an academic seminar on the junta-sponsored draft constitution, asking the student whether he has a brain or not.</p>

<div> <div>More than 10 Pheu Thai politicians have simultaneously denounced the junta’s charter draft for its undemocratic origin and content, adding that they will vote against it in the August referendum. One politician argues that the charter draft is actually an amnesty bill for the junta.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Wednesday, 15 June 2016, prominent politicians of the Pheu Thai Party, the anti-establishment political party with a strong affiliation with Thaksin Shinawatra, simultaneously declared their stance against the junta’s charter draft on their Facebook accounts. </div></div>

<p>The military have summoned key leaders of the anti-establishment red shirt group in northern Thailand to a military base over a draft constitution referendum watch campaign.</p> <p>Siriwat Jupamattha, a key red shirt leader in the northern province of Phayao, told the media that soldiers from the 34th Military Circle on Tuesday, 14 June 2016, summoned him and another red shirt leader for a discussion,&nbsp;<a href="https://tlhr2014.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/ban_referendum_center/">Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR)&nbsp;</a>reported.</p>

<p>Soldiers and police officers have forced a shopkeeper in northern Thailand to remove a banner campaigning on the charter referendum, claiming that they are doing it to maintain peace. &nbsp;</p> <p></p>

<div> <div>The deputy junta head has said the red shirt’s referendum watch campaign is not allowed since it is the responsibility of existing government agencies. </div></div>

<p>A policeman and a military officer attempted to bar anti-establishment red shirts from holding a press briefing to open a centre to monitor the draft charter referendum despite the junta leader’s promise that opening such centres is allowed. &nbsp;</p> <p>Pol Col Suphon Khamchu and Sub Lt Sunthon Yoddee on Sunday, 5 June 2016, visited TV 24 broadcasting station in Lat Phrao District, Bangkok.</p>

<div>The junta head has said that if the Constitutional Court rules that the controversial Referendum Act is unconstitutional, the August referendum might be postponed. </div>

<div>An independent survey has shown that in the August referendum, most respondents will vote against the draft charter and the junta’s proposal to allow junta-appointed senators to join in the vote for PM.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt="" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1616/26029077930_a2edb8fec6_o.jpg" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <div><a href="http://peoplepollthailand.com/">PeoplePoll Thailand</a> has <a href="http://peoplepollthailand.com/poll/result/recent/75">published</a> the result of an opinion poll on t </div></div>

<div>A faction of the red shirts has launched a referendum watch campaign, aiming to prevent electoral fraud in the August referendum and to educate people about the content of the charter draft. Meanwhile, Deep South civil society has also started a similar campaign. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Monday, 30 May 2016, Thanawut Wichaidit and Somwang Asrasi, key members of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), a main faction of the red shirts affiliated with Thaksin, revealed that they will launch an Anti-Electoral Fraud in the Referendum campaign on 5 June. </div>

<div>Following a meeting with the Election Commission of Thailand, on 18 May, Damaso G. Magbual, chairperson and co-founder of the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), met with Prachatai English for an interview to discuss what the presence of an election monitoring group may mean for the upcoming referendum vote.&nbsp;</div> <div> </div>

<div> <div>The EU Delegation has urged the junta to allow free discussion on the draft charter, saying that free discussion is a prerequisite for political reconciliation.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Werner Langen, Chair of the EU Delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the ASEAN, said that the EU Delegation was concerned by junta laws that criminalize criticism of the draft constitution, saying that political reconciliation cannot happen if the junta does not listen to everyone’s voice, BBC Thai <a> </a></div></div>

<div>Weakening elected government officials, enhancing bureaucracy, and increasing relations with influential capitalists is what the military is trying to do to secure its legitimacy after “the transition”, says Prajak Kongkirati, a political scientist from Thammasat University.</div> <p></p>