<p>A former Law Reform Commissioner says that a fair referendum on the draft constitution is only a dream under the repressive political environment, while an Election Commissioner maintains that laws to regulate campaigns on the draft are necessary to prevent political conflict.</p>

<p>The Thai junta leader has invoked his authority under the Interim Constitution to put on hold the process of selecting new members of a law reform agency, saying that the upcoming constitution is already meant to reform the country.</p> <p>On Wednesday, 15 July 2015, the junta’s National Council of Peace and Order (NCPO) issued Order No. 20/2015 to stop the process of selecting new committee chairs of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.prachatai.org/english/taxonomy/term/2521/all">Law Reform Commission of Thailand (LRCT)</a>, an independent state agency which promotes legal reforms.</p>

<div>Thailand’s law reform agency urged the Thai junta not to restrict media freedom and freedom of expression in the new constitution.</div> <div> <p id="E21" is="qowt-para" qowt-eid="E21"><span id="E22" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E22">The </span><a href="http://www.lrct.go.th/en/" id="E23" qowt-divtype="qowt-field-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E23" target="_blank"><span id="E24" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E24">Law Reform Commission of Thailand (LRCT)</span></a><span id="E25" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E25">, an independent state agency which promotes legal reforms, on Tuesday s </span></p></div>

<p>11 Feb 2015 – Under the Law Reform Commission of Thailand Act B.E 2553 (2010) , Law Reform has been defined as implication of all acts aiming to revise and develop law in the way that shall be expedient and provide the best benefit for the people and the country. This shall include revise and development of the law in corresponds to the word and meaning of the constitution, the machinery of the judicial process, due process of law, law enforcement, adjudicative law, drafting law, that is to revise and development of the law.</p>

<p>Villagers from three provinces in the lower north of Thailand have urged the Thai authorities and a mining company to provide compensation and remedial measures after the authorities found heavy metals in the villagers’ blood. &nbsp;</p>