Public referendum set for Thailand's new Constitution draft

BANGKOK, February 11 (TNA) - A public referendum on Thailand's new Constitution draft has been tentatively set on July 31, 2016. Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, an election commissioner, told journalists that the date was set at a meeting of parties concerned, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Wisanu Kruangam in Bangkok on February 10. Somchai said he raised four major issues for discussions at the meeting, including the amendment of Thailand's 2014 Provisional Charter, whether it is necessary to publish and distribute the new Constitution draft to 16.7 million households with an initial cost of 2.4 billion baht, a punishment on those lobbying against the new Charter draft and the tentative date set for the public referendum on the new Constitution draft on July 31, 2016. Meanwhile, Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) Spokesman Amorn Vanichvivat told reporters that a two-day forum to gather opinions from people living in the central and the eastern regions is held in Bangkok during February 10-11, after which participants in the forum are expected to inform other people in their communities on the detailed content of the new Constitution draft before a further revision will be conducted by CDC based on the gathered public opinions. CDC Chairman Meechai Ruchupan said, in the meantime, that it is up to the Thai government and the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to consider in case that the new Constitution draft would not endorsed by the majority of voters in the upcoming referendum. The CDC chair stressed that there is no reserved Charter in the case that the newly-completed Constitution draft would not pass the public referendum. CDC is scheduled to publicize the new Charter draft to the public on January 29, listen to public opinions during February 16-March 20 and make a further revision, set to be finalised by March 29. The finally-revised Constitution draft will be then forwarded to the Thai Cabinet, which would later ask the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) to organise the public referendum. A set of summarised content of the new Charter draft and official guidelines on voting procedures for the public referendum are scheduled to be sent to voters' households some 15 days prior to the public referendum date. (TNA)