Ousted party urges Thais to reject junta’s constitution

The political party toppled in Thailand’s 2014 coup urged voters on Wednesday to reject the military’s proposed new constitution, describing it as an undemocratic document that would further entrench army rule.

A panel appointed by the ruling military junta unveiled its draft constitution on Wednesday, touting it as the solution to the kingdom’s decade-long political crisis. But critics lambasted it as divisive and a throwback to the days when Thailand’s legislature was weak and controlled by unelected people. In a statement the Puea Thai Party told supporters to vote against the charter during a planned referendum on August 7. “(The party) will not accept a charter in which real power does not belong to the people,” Puea Thai said in the statement, putting it on a collision course with the generals.

The junta has warned it will not tolerate criticism of the charter in the run-up to the vote, making debate all but impossible. Two opposition politicians were detained by the military this week for voicing criticism of the document.