In the event the side supporting the draft charter wins, its opponents will then accuse the winning side of cheating, he said. One side consists of the two major political parties, the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), academics, non-governmental organisations and political groups, he said. Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn described the referendum as a high-cost rite where the result will be exploited as justification for either side's stance. No matter the result of the Aug 7 referendum, political conflicts will persist as the two main political camps now aim to exploit the referendum results to justify their next moves against one another, a seminar was told on Thursday. "As those academics and movement groups share a stereotype against the military, we are then perceived as [the military's] poisonous fruit.

Source: Bangkok Post July 29, 2016 01:07 UTC