EC chair warns actions which might violate referendum law

[rooster59]

EC chair warns actions which might violate referendum law

 

Tanakorn Sangiam

 

BANGKOK, 5 August 2016 (NNT) – The Election Committee Chairman has revealed referendum instructions to the general public, warning on actions that could be considered as a violation to the referendum law.

 

Election Committee Chairman Supachai Somcharoen has revealed the five important instructions for the constitutional referendum vote to ensure the orderliness, requesting the general public to check their name list in front of their voting stations or via the notification documents.

 

The public should show their ID cards when receiving their ballot paper, or other official documents such as census books, or government issued card and ink their fingerprints.

 

Voters are to cross an X sign on the question boxes regarding the constitution and the auxiliary question, before completing the process by dropping the folded ballot paper into the box.

 

The EC Chairman has also warned on some activities may violate the referendum law, including taking selfies at voting stations or taking pictures of the ballot paper.

 

All sales of alcoholic beverages or hosting of feasts or party events will be prohibited from 6 p.m. of 6 August 2016, until midnight of 7 August 2016, according to the referendum law. Violators can be subject to a prison term of 6 months, or fined by up to 10,000 baht, or both.

 

 

-- nnt 2016-08-06

[Thechook]

All sales of alcoholic beverages or hosting of feasts or party events will be prohibited.

 

Wow taking birthdays off people now.

[NongKhaiKid]

Easy rules to follow,  since everyone is already happy just go out to vote,  vote Yes and ensure continued happiness with the junta and then sons of junta in charge.

[candide]

This also could not be invented! The EC forbiding people to take selfies at voting stations! 

 

Anyway, they may be able to prevent political opinions to be expressed. But selfies? No way they can succeed to prevent them!

 

[waldroj]

And, the irony is that people will still vote YESx2!

Seems, you really do get the "politicians" you deserve (either through democratic elections or as usurpers).

[Plutojames88]

It's like a rapist asking the victim to approve to accept a wedding ring.

Either way the violation will continue .

They are not happy locking up thousands , oppressing an entire nation unlawfully, they want to try and gain some legitimate mandate by simple saying you either accept a sham article of faith or continue being buggered until you do.

Soul crushing , and nasty .

[cmsally]

Is it normal to require fingerprints when voting?

[BigBadGeordie]

6 minutes ago, cmsally said:

Is it normal to require fingerprints when voting?

 

Perfectly normal in most totalitarian states.

[cmsally]

34 minutes ago, BigBadGeordie said:

 

Perfectly normal in most totalitarian states.

 

Then how can a ballot be secret if it is fingerprinted ?

[Toknarok]

40 minutes ago, cmsally said:

Is it normal to require fingerprints when voting?

         In previous polls when pollsters went to vote their hands were marked in indelible ink. This was to prevent person multiple voting. In this referendum however I understand that voters will have to ink their thumbprint on the top of the ballot paper. This goes against all the rules of a vote being entirely anonymous, and thus a voter can be matched up to the ballot he cast. Only a repressive regime, ignoring one of the basic tenets of democracy would pursue such an undemocratic course.

[BigBadGeordie]

7 minutes ago, cmsally said:

 

Then how can a ballot be secret if it is fingerprinted ?

I think that is the whole point of the exercise.

[Alive]

Every time there is a vote or holiday or special reason to go back to their homes, the nation's poor who come to BKK to work have to deal with massive traffic jams and have to spend a lot of money for them to visit their hometowns. So this vote will be no different. The BKK people just walk around the corner and vote, and they don't have to request to do that. This nation's plan has always been BKK, BKK, BKK and its not really fair for the rest of the nation. I know some who will not make that trip because of work and hassles.

[NongKhaiKid]

12 minutes ago, Alive said:

Every time there is a vote or holiday or special reason to go back to their homes, the nation's poor who come to BKK to work have to deal with massive traffic jams and have to spend a lot of money for them to visit their hometowns. So this vote will be no different. The BKK people just walk around the corner and vote, and they don't have to request to do that. This nation's plan has always been BKK, BKK, BKK and its not really fair for the rest of the nation. I know some who will not make that trip because of work and hassles.

You've got that so right  !       I have a friend working in a Minburi factory who won't be voting because she'd have to pay for travel home to Khon Kaen and miss a couple of shifts at least.     No work,  no salary.

Multiply that by goodness knows how many other examples nationwide including those with further to travel incurring even bigger loss of salary.

Edited August 6, 2016 by NongKhaiKid

[cmsally]

Ballot options out of province or out of country ? Have or not have ?

[aussieinthailand]

No booze sales, No party's, And no feasts.   Great for the restaurant  business's, and for bar's and clubs, loosing large amounts of revenue at the whim of the EC enforced buy police and junta,  I wonder how many will pay to serve alcohol and others busted for it?

 

Didn't these donkey's go on an all expenses paid holiday for X many officials and family members and hangers on to Scotland and other countries to see how a modern country runs a referendum?

Well so far what have they come up for for the TAX (peoples) money spent???

1. Banning and criminalizing the expression of opinion regarding the draft.

2. Banning public debate on the draft.

3. The purchase of tens of thousands Indestructible ballot boxes only to watch it smash on the floor during a televised display.

4. Charging people with insurrection regarding the draft.

5. using "rude or harsh language regarding the draft.

6. Banning alcohol, party's, feasts the day before the draft.

Was any of these examples of how to run a referendum done in Scotland???

The list goes on and on,  So did the people get their money's worth for these TAX (Peoples) funded international junkets???

[BigBadGeordie]

An insightfull article from the Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/thailands-potemkin-referendum/2016/08/05/46fa43e8-5a69-11e6-9aee-8075993d73a2_story.html

[BigBadGeordie]

8 minutes ago, cmsally said:

Ballot options out of province or out of country ? Have or not have ?

There was an option to vote out of province, requiring early registration (July 7 if I recall correctly). It was not taken up by many voters, around 75,000.

Normally in general elections Thai citizens abroad have the option to vote at a consulate or embassy. I am not aware of the arrangements for this ballot.

[baboon]

3 hours ago, candide said:

This also could not be invented! The EC forbiding people to take selfies at voting stations! 

 

Anyway, they may be able to prevent political opinions to be expressed. But selfies? No way they can succeed to prevent them!

 

Hang on a minute - Wasn't the fingerprint on the ballot paper wheeze justified on the grounds that people would take selfies and spread them on the Internet to encourage others to vote? And now the same people are now saying that is now illegal? I take it that fingerprints will no longer be required, then? (No need to answer that third question)

[baboon]

4 hours ago, NongKhaiKid said:

Easy rules to follow,  since everyone is already happy just go out to vote,  vote Yes and ensure continued happiness with the junta and then sons of junta in charge.

Indeed. Sustainable democracy and a brand new people's constitution brought to you by the same good folk who are threatening six months imprisonment for enjoying yourself over the next two days. That's right; enjoying yourself is now illegal at this time.

When do the promised televised panel discussions featuring all points of view begin, by the way. After the vote, perhaps? 

[Reigntax]

1 hour ago, Toknarok said:

         In previous polls when pollsters went to vote their hands were marked in indelible ink. This was to prevent person multiple voting. In this referendum however I understand that voters will have to ink their thumbprint on the top of the ballot paper. This goes against all the rules of a vote being entirely anonymous, and thus a voter can be matched up to the ballot he cast. Only a repressive regime, ignoring one of the basic tenets of democracy would pursue such an undemocratic course.

 

Im sure they considered tattooing numbers on the hand of each peasant but no military person knew what number came after 99.

[chainarong]

2 hours ago, NongKhaiKid said:

You've got that so right  !       I have a friend working in a Minburi factory who won't be voting because she'd have to pay for travel home to Khon Kaen and miss a couple of shifts at least.     No work,  no salary.

Multiply that by goodness knows how many other examples nationwide including those with further to travel incurring even bigger loss of salary.

Obviously a postal vote or absenteeism vote isn't an option.

[chainarong]

This referendum has been met with negative response from the oZ Media , highly critical of the Junta's intentions and motives, which may well end in heartbreak for many................................... 

[millwall_fan]

I have heard a few scare stories that peoples names will be on the ballot paper, now people on here are saying that fingerprints will be on the actual ballot paper. Does anyone have any definite information. My wife wants to vote, as long as it is a secret ballot. 

 

for the benefit of newbies' to Thailand railing against the booze ban: such bans have been in place before any kind of vote for a number of years. It was brought in in an attempt to prevent political parties from taking voters out to all night parties before helpfully giving them a lift home via the polling station. As a former publican I lost business every time there was a vote. Why a ban is necessary this time when it is more or less illegal to campaign for a  'no' vote, is beyond me.

[NongKhaiKid]

1 hour ago, chainarong said:

Obviously a postal vote or absenteeism vote isn't an option.

Like so many others this lady knows nothing about the referendum itself so the intricacies of alternative methods of voting will be a complete mystery to her and I'm not being insulting. 

Interestingly though tomorrow is supposed to be her day off but the company put her and others on day off on a full overtime  shift which is compulsory in all but name and they don't take kindly to staff declining to work.

Edited August 6, 2016 by NongKhaiKid

[dbrenn]

I read somewhere that, unlike other elections, voters will have to place their fingerprint on the ballot paper. Not a secret ballot if this is true as people who didn't vote 'correctly' are traceable. 

[dbrenn]

59 minutes ago, millwall_fan said:

I have heard a few scare stories that peoples names will be on the ballot paper, now people on here are saying that fingerprints will be on the actual ballot paper. Does anyone have any definite information. My wife wants to vote, as long as it is a secret ballot. 

 

for the benefit of newbies' to Thailand railing against the booze ban: such bans have been in place before any kind of vote for a number of years. It was brought in in an attempt to prevent political parties from taking voters out to all night parties before helpfully giving them a lift home via the polling station. As a former publican I lost business every time there was a vote. Why a ban is necessary this time when it is more or less illegal to campaign for a  'no' vote, is beyond me.

Re: fingerprints, the economist ran an article on it. 

[JAG]

3 hours ago, Reigntax said:

 

Im sure they considered tattooing numbers on the hand of each peasant but no military person knew what number came after 99.

I say, that's a bit unfair - if you stick the word "Baht" in front of the number the senior ones at least can count into the large multiples of millions!

 

Besides, if they can't count past 99, how do you explain their "wise investments"!

 

Edited August 6, 2016 by JAG

[JAG]

1 hour ago, millwall_fan said:

I have heard a few scare stories that peoples names will be on the ballot paper, now people on here are saying that fingerprints will be on the actual ballot paper. Does anyone have any definite information. My wife wants to vote, as long as it is a secret ballot. 

 

for the benefit of newbies' to Thailand railing against the booze ban: such bans have been in place before any kind of vote for a number of years. It was brought in in an attempt to prevent political parties from taking voters out to all night parties before helpfully giving them a lift home via the polling station. As a former publican I lost business every time there was a vote. Why a ban is necessary this time when it is more or less illegal to campaign for a  'no' vote, is beyond me.

 

Best Beloved says she will not vote - "Army know what you say - they will not forget."

[Reigntax]

36 minutes ago, JAG said:

I say, that's a bit unfair - if you stick the word "Baht" in front of the number the senior ones at least can count into the large multiples of millions!

 

Besides, if they can't count past 99, how do you explain their "wise investments"!

 

 

Because when it has million or billion attached its still less than 99. They all seem to have 50 million or 10 billion and when asked where it came from, there is never an answer. Yes, when you add "Baht" to any number, there does seem to be a different level of knowledge, some could even say less intelligence.

[MZurf]

The Burmese newspaper Myanma Alinn Daily said in an editorial:

"If the draft of the constitution in Thailand were to be approved in the upcoming referendum, the democracy in that country would become sub-standard and limited," 

The newspaper is run by the Myanmar Ministry of Information.

Well done, junta!!