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The National Legislative Assembly approved the final reading of the referendum bill in a majority vote of 133-2.

The new law will come into effect after a royal endorsement and a subsequent publication in the Royal Gazette.

Offenders of referendum rules may be penalised by imprisonment and having their voting right suspended for five years.

Opinion surveys relating to the referendum can not be released three days before the balloting day.

Meanwhile, a group of four monks in Phitsanulok on Wednesday distributed leaflets and CDs protesting against the draft constitution.

The monks went to temples in rural areas of the province and asked for the abbots' permission to preach. They then began handing out the leaflets and CDs to audience members.

The four monks went to Dong Chan Temple in Wang Thong district and urged people to cast 'No' votes in the charter referendum on August 19.

The leaflets said that approval of the draft constitution would not make the election happen any sooner, as organic laws would need to be written. If, however, it were rejected and the 1997 Constitution reintroduced, organic laws could be introduced quickly as they had already been written.

The monks also attacked the military and asked for public support before moving to other temples.

In a related development, Yala Post Office has to hire local people to deliver copies of the draft constitution to households in insecure areas, Anua Lawae, the province's postmaster said yesterday.

Deliveries of the booklets began on July 18 and the post office has so far distributed 81 per cent of the 126,600 editions it received, he said, adding that all copies are expected to be delivered to voters by Friday.

The 126,600 copies were enough to cover all voter households as well as government agencies in the province, Anua said.