Soldiers and police officers have forced a shopkeeper in northern Thailand to remove a banner campaigning on the charter referendum, claiming that they are doing it to maintain peace.  

At around 1:30 pm on Tuesday, 14 June 2016, soldiers from 32nd Military Circle and police officers in the northern province of Lampang forced a shopkeeper to remove a banner calling on people to monitor the upcoming referendum on the junta-sponsored draft constitution, Matichon Online reported. 

Thimonwan Chinakun, the shopkeeper who put up the banner, asked the authorities to clarify their action. They said that their superior ordered them to do it to maintain peace and order.

After the banner was removed by the authorities, Thimonwan told the soldiers and police officers to tell their superior to give her 220 baht which she spent on ordering the banner.

She urged the state not to ‘bully small people’, saying that she only wanted to campaign about the charter referendum, so that many people will turn up on the referendum date which is currently set for 7 August 2016.  

The shopkeeper told the media that any state policy needs to include the voices of the people and implied that the current measures of the authorities to suppress the voices of the people are unfair.

Thimonwan Chinakun holds on to the banner calling on people to monitor the upcoming referendum on the junta-sponsored draft constitution (photo from Matichon Online)