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Published on August 18, 2007

Constitution-writers yesterday confirmed news reports of a clandestine movement to sink the draft charter in the run-up to tomorrow's national referendum.

Seree Suwanpanont, deputy chairman of the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA), said attempts were under way to "distort the charter's content" in a bid to have it rejected by voters.

He said the conclusion came from the information gathered during recent trips by CDA members to several provinces.

Thammanit Pitanilabutr, an assembly member, said his recent trip to the Northeast found that money had been paid to eligible voters in the region to reject the draft. He expected more payments to be made on the eve of the referendum.

Meanwhile, Chaiyaphum Governor Supakij Bunyaritpong called a meeting of police officers and prosecutors for action to be taken after 50,000 letters with misleading messages about the draft constitution were mailed from Nonthaburi to Chaiyaphum Post Office.

The provincial governor ordered the seizure of copies of the five-page letter attacking the draft to check where the letters had been sent from in the province. The same letters were inserted in daily newspapers at news-stands across the province.

Phichit residents brought leaflets that misrepresented the draft, sent through letters to them, for officials to burn and lodged complaints with police to bring those behind the letters to justice.

They said they would vote in support of the constitution draft so the general election can be held soon.

Police Maj-General Natchapat Somboonsri said officers were investigating a report that Bt100 million was recently transferred from the United Kingdom via the Internet to the account of a woman identified as "Wanida" at the Standard Chartered Bank's Chiang Mai branch.

The money was allegedly then transferred to other banks to be given to canvassers and voters to reject the draft.

He said he had asked the Northern Office of the Bank of Thailand to check if the report was true and would order a freeze on the money and investigate the people involved.

In a related development, Praiwal Sukpukiew, deputy head of the Good Governance Group, met Constitution Drafting Committee chairman Prasong Soonsiri to give evidence that certain former MPs in the Northeast had paid people to vote against the draft. He said the group members disguised as villagers attended a meeting called by the former MPs and collected evidence such as free T-shirts, leaflets and many Bt100 banknotes.

The former MPs gave Bt2,000 each to canvassers and told them to pay villagers Bt200 each to vote no in the referendum. Praiwal said some money had already been distributed and the rest will be handed out on Saturday and Sunday. He will also forward the evidence to the Election Commission (EC).

Prasong called on the EC to check on people wearing red T-shirts with the message "We Vote No" and ask them whether they got it for free. If not, they must say which shop they bought the shirts.

He said those who distributed the shirts were committing an offence - akin to buying votes - and legal action must be taken against them

EC member Prapan Naiyakowit said yesterday that the EC would take drastic action against people proven to have committed electoral wrongdoing in Nakhon Phanom and Buri Ram and Phang Nga provinces.

The EC proposed that the state agencies concerned transfer teachers and local administrative organisation officials who were accused of committing electoral fraud such as buying "no" votes. The EC also sought permission from the Justice Ministry to provide protection to witnesses in these cases.