The Interior Minister has said the junta will collect the ID numbers of anyone who gives feedback on the four questions about elections posed by junta head Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha to the public last week.
On 26 May 2017, Prayuth posed during his weekly televised address four questions seeking feedback on the issue of elections.
The four questions were:
- Will the next election lead to ‘good governance’?
- If not, what should be done?
- Is it right to only focus on elections, at the expense of the country’s future and other issues?
- Should politicians who engage in inappropriate behaviour be allowed to run in elections again?
The leading questions were widely seen as reflecting the junta’s desires to remain in power even longer.
Nevertheless, the junta has said people can send their answers through nationwide Damrongdhama Centers of the Interior Ministry. The caveat is that the junta will collect the ID numbers of respondents to ensure that answers reflect the opinions of real Thai people.
On 2 June 2017, the Minister of Interior Gen Anupong Paochinda promised more centres to facilitate prompt feedback to the junta. The centres will summarise responses and send them back to the junta every 10 days.
“I can’t order Damrongdhama Centers to write untrue papers,” said Anupong. “We will try our best to get real information, and this means people have to ... identify themselves with ID cards.”
Gen Anupong Paochinda