"It will be a concrete show of force that will prove how many people oppose the constitution," said Chotisak Onsoong, one of the four co-ordinators of the "19 September" anti-coup network.

The campaign will be launched in mid-April to coincide with the first draft being finished by the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), who have been directly and indirectly appointed by the Council for National Security (CNS).

The campaign motto will be: "A Vote against the Constitution is Equal to a Vote Against Dictatorship".

Chotisak admitted the content of the charter will also play a role in the number of people who will vote "no" as many are still waiting to see how democratic the new charter will be.

"Issues like whether the PM comes from an elected member of Parliament or not or whether the Senate will be partially appointed or not, will be crucial and push more people to vote no. Sure, there are groups that support the [deposed premier] Thaksin Shinawatra who will vote against the CNS too, and I'm not saying they don't have the right to do so."

The group believes that if the "no" vote is substantial, whatever legitimacy the CNS still clings too will soon diminish.

Chotisak played down the possibility of the junta adopting a more backward and draconian charter if the new one is rejected - as stipulated under the law written by the junta itself.

"I don't think the CNS can do any more than what they have already done in the past. People came out to oppose the coup three days after the seizure of power."

Another group, which will also reject the new charter, will launch its campaign in March. Forty signatures of public figures from various walks are now being compiled.

The number 40 is symbolic as it signifies the 1997 so-called people's constitution that was nullified by the junta after they staged the coup in September last year. In the Thai Buddhist calendar, the year 1997 is 2540 - so the charter is popularly referred to in Thai as the 40 charter.

Other signatories include former senator Pratheep Ungsongtham Hata, Chulalongkorn University historian Suthachai Yimprasert and Midnight University's webmaster Somkiat Tangnamo.

Social activist Sombat Boon-ngam-anong, one of the 40 signatories, said the group will hold a symposium on the necessity to reject the junta's constitution early next month.

It will also launch a campaign to oppose the charter called: "Thais Say No!"

"A coup d'etat is undemocratic and has tainted the honour of the people and even though the CNS has tried to establish its legitimacy for itself, the harder they try the more contrary the results have become and that has led to a loss in economic, social and political spheres," the group said in a statement.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation