Centres set up nationwide to support Thailand's Charter referendum

BANGKOK, July 4 (TNA) - The government has joined forces with the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) in setting up centres for peace and order across the country since July 1 to support and smoothen next month's public referendum on the country's new Constitution draft, set on August 7. Thai Government Spokesman Major General Sansern Kaewkamnerd told journalists of the update on July 3, saying that the centres, set up in all provinces and districts nationwide based on the 2016 Referendum Act, is aimed to render the government's cooperation and support for EC in its handling of the upcoming referendum in order to ensure peace and order, transparency and fairness. According to the spokesman, all the provincial-level centres are headed by governors and all the district-level centres are headed by district chiefs, while heads of all other government agencies concerned are committee members under the centres. The spokesman stated that the three main missions of all the centres include the management of peace and order through preparing contingent plans, monitoring the updated situation and setting up checkpoints, intelligence gathering to detect offenders or violators of the 2016 Referendum Act, as well as the enforcement of the law and actions to stop mass demonstrations of people at public places. "The main objectives of the nationwide centres are to prevent and stop incidents which could lead to unrest, while also ensuring peace and order, transparency, fairness, independence and neutrality during the referendum based on the law and the mandate of all the agencies concerned", stressed the spokesman. Besides, the spokesman revealed, the centres are to report to their authorities on their operations before the public referendum during July 1-August 6, on the August 7 referendum and after the referendum during August 8-10 or until peace and order are sustained. The spokesman quoted Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha as vowing that no fraud and obstacle to the August 7 public referendum will be allowed and seeking cooperation from people in all sectors to immediately provide tip-offs to government authorities on any suspicious act or law violation. (TNA)