13 August 2007, Against the Sept 19, 2006 Coup Network and Thai Say No Group organized a march for against the coup and reject the junta constitution draft from Thammasat University to the Democracy Monument. The pictures follow from http://www.flickr.com/photos/mediasia/sets/72157601426871300

Joint Statement 

Say No to Coup d'etat, Reject the junta constitution

It is almost 11 months that the Council for National Security has robbed Thai people of their power, and it has been a hard time for people who yearn for their rights, freedoms and Democracy.

The junta and its cronies have abused the power: 1) to purge their political enemies; 2) to suppress and violate the rights of people who are opposed to the dictatorial rule; 3) to interfere in the media through both direct control and intimidation; and 4) for their personal gains.

Their efforts in the past 11 months including the drafting of the constitution and a package of laws waiting to be rubber-stamped by the National Legislative Assembly which they have appointed, show their true intents to reduce the power of the people and their elected representatives, while making more rooms for the military and bureaucrats to be in control of politics; that is, the making of a bureaucratic regime to perpetuate the junta's power, definitely not a Democracy.

The referendum on the CNS-sponsored draft constitution on Aug 19 is bogus. It only serves to manipulate the people's votes as another rubber stamp to legitimize their new regime. Voters are forced to play by their unfair rules. Free speech is not allowed equally between proponents and opponents, as is the case in civilized countries. On the contrary, they have attempted to suppress dissenting views by all means to guarantee their victory, as their whole scheme would collapse if the referendum fails.

We, the people who own the power and fight for our rights and freedoms, will never fall for their threat to bring up an even worse previous charter if the draft charter fails in the referendum, or be duped by the illusion to make amendments later, as that would allow and endorse the establishment of the regime through the sham referendum

Now is the time that we join together to express our will to reject the coup d'etat, to stop the bureaucratic regime in the making, to stop the military and their cronies from entering to politics without contesting elections, and to begin to build up Democracy with our own hands by voting "NO" in the referendum.

If the draft constitution fails in the referendum, we invite the people across the country to demonstrate to pressure the CNS to reinstate the 1997 Constitution without alterations in essence, and hold the general election within 60 days.

Let us stand firm and ultimately fight against this wholly illegitimate regime to build a Democracy in which the power belongs to the people.

On Aug 19, vote "NO" to reject the junta's constitution.

Stop the military's return to power, stop the bureaucratic regime.

In people we trust.

Against the Sept 19, 2006 Coup Network and Thai Say No Group

August 13, 2007

At the Democracy Monument