The referendum law, however, prohibits publication of any referendum-related survey data during the last seven days ahead of the plebiscite. Violations are a crime punishable by up to three months in jail and/or a fine of up to Bt6,000.Meanwhile, the EC aims for at least 80 per cent of the eligible voters to turn out. Only about a quarter expressed little satisfaction while some eight per cent said they were unsure of the matter.Asked whether they were worried some people would instigate unrest or incite violence, more than three quarters said no and some 20 per cent said yes.The poll results were revealed yesterday. Relevant agencies such as those under the Ministry of Interior currently are working to promote the referendum, disseminate the charter content, and encourage the public to take part in referendum or charter debates.Government Spokesman Maj-Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd yesterday said the state had provided stages for the public to exchange their views on the constitution draft nationwide from Friday until Wednesday.Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha would like to see the people active and well-informed about the referendum and the charter, the spokesman said.He reiterated that the state never wanted to limit freedom of expression and always supported constructive debates. However, he asked that everyone follow the rule and not distort the facts or be vulgar.In a related development, spokesman of the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) revealed that during the last week before the referendum, the drafters might appear live on some television channels to explain about the charter draft, especially on the controversial points about which many people have wrong notions.In the meantime, he said that they were also working to disseminate information by travelling to provinces and explaining to the community leaders so they could help pass on the information.

Source: The Nation Bangkok July 30, 2016 17:15 UTC