The Thai junta issued a new order to establish a committee to cooperate with foreign experts on democratic development while still prohibiting criticisms on the new constitutional draft.
Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the the junta’s leader and Prime Minister (PM), on last Thursday authorised Order No. 4/2015 of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to establish a working committee, whose functions will be to cooperate with other national agencies to seek advices from foreign experts about solutions to political crisis and democratic transition.
Order No. 4/2015 was published in the Royal Gazette in Thursday.
According to the order, the committee will comprise eight members some of whom are an NCPO officer, as the committee chairman, and deputy PM, who are assigned by the PM, Deputy President of the National Reform Council (NRC), Deputy President of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), Deputy Chair of Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC), Permanent Secretary of Foreign Ministry, and etc.
In addition to seeking advices from foreign experts, the committee will cooperate with tertiary educational institutions, King Prajadhipok's Institute (a national political think-tank), and other governmental agencies, to study the flaws of the 1997 and 2007 constitutions.
Section 2 of the order states that lessons and advices from experts must not contravene with international democratic principles, including, democratic system with the monarchy as the head of state and Thai governing customs.
Moreover, the order points out that the advices from experts must not be related to criticisms over the new constitutional draft.
“[Advices] must not be related to criticisms on the drafting of the new charter and must not affect the progress of the process to pass the new constitutional draft,” said the new order.
Furthermore, Order No. 4/2015 states that people should understand the junta’s attempts to solve Thailand’s political crisis and build up long-lasting democratic system.
“Without building up awareness and understandings [of junta’s reform phases] first, it will only lead to conflicts, which will affect harmony and the reconciliation process, rendering on the development of democratic system,” stated the junta’s Order.