ASIA/THAILAND - 45 million Thais invited to vote for the draft of the new Constitution

Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) - On August 7, about 45 million Thai people will be invited to express their consent on the draft of the new Constitution approved in January 2016. "Everywhere you see huge posters, billboards, and audio and video advertising on the electoral process" says a local source to Agenzia Fides requesting anonymity. "This twentieth Constitution (in eight decades) was written by a team of 21 persons nominated by the current General Prayuth, in power since 2014 with a coup, but it seems it does not respond to the requests expressed by the various political factions in the period of crisis of 2013", continues our source.
"The people currently seem neither informed nor interested in the 279 articles contained in the 105 pages of this 'Magna Carta'. Even in the last referendum on the Constitution, in 2007, a little over 57% of those eligible participated. In the Country it is officially forbidden to discuss it openly, organize debates, express ones views and collect statistical surveys. The text itself is not widespread and there have been cases of anonymous texts circulating among circles of young people. Many foreign commentators, and the same organizations for human rights, declare the strangeness of a strong military text that provides for the indiscriminate interference by the armed forces in any event that threatens the 'peace and harmony' of the Country. Universities and traditionally distant areas from Bangkok's power centers are distancing themselves from the draft". (AP) (Agenzia Fides 13/07/2016)

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