The march marked the end of the three-day Thai Social Forum (TSF) where NGOs and villagers from across the country met to discuss means for achieving greater social justice.

Some 1,500 villagers, mostly from the South, decided not to join the march organised by the TSF yesterday fearing for their safety, while one of the marchers, who was distributing anti-coup leaflets, was dragged away by the military.

"We felt insecure," admitted Thidarat Watwai, co-ordinator of the Thai Community Foundation, which works with villagers affected by the tsunami in the south. Thidarat said 250 villagers working with the foundation from Phuket and Phang Nga provinces, and Lanta district in Krabi, decided not to join the march as they were warned by security officials before they left their villages.

"Before we came, different state agencies such as the police special branch entered the communities telling us we can't march due to martial law... and we were warned of the consequences. Many villagers were saddened as they didn't get a chance to air their  plight. This kind of thing shouldn't have happened."

The majority of villagers in the north and the northeast no longer have strong relations with NGOs, having been won over by Thaksin Shinawatra's populist policies over the past six years.

The 200 marchers, much less than the 3,000 figure previously expected, were led by a disabled group and followed by labour groups. They didn't shout any anti-coup slogans but did chant their own: "Another World is Possible".

However, anti-coup demonstrators were among the march. They distributed pamphlets calling for a gathering in front of Parliament when the National Legislative Assembly sat for the first time. However, five armed soldiers attempted to take away group member Chotisak On-sueng. They said the march was against martial law.

Meanwhile, the TSF meeting reached a decision to draft a parallel People's Constitution as a check and balance to the new constitution being formulated by the junta.

"Thirty networks will draft a People's Constitution - and we will make it democratic," said former senator Jon Ungphakorn, a leading member of the organising committee.

Jon said the majority of civil society were against the coup but their ideas in making a more just Thai society differ. Some have opted to work with the junta-appointed regime while others refused to have anything to do with them.

Janya Yimprasert, co-ordinator of Thai Labour Campaign, estimates that some 60 per cent of civil society refused to have anything to do with the new administration because they consider it illegitimate - while 30 per cent are actually against the coup and have made their stance known. Less than 10 per cent, she said, decided to work with the military in the hope of making the most out of the situation.

Before the march, NGO leaders took turns in reading a declaration, vowing to create a new and better Thai society where people will not depend on any group or organisations to represent or help them.

Some of their goals include having more comprehensive and progressive tax system, setting up of a welfare state, and building checks and balance mechanisms at all levels.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation