FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Voters urged to honour Black May heroes

Voters urged to honour Black May heroes

Abhisit says public should not adopt a charter draft that limits freedoms

FORMER PRIME minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said that in order to honour the legacy of the Black May heroes, the country should not adopt a constitution that limits rights and freedom. 
Regressive charters include those that disrespect or violate people’s rights and fail to protect rights and freedoms, the Democrat Party leader said yesterday at a commemoration event held annually by the relatives of those who lost their lives in Black May. 
The present version, he said, failed to critically address people’s right to choose their own future and leaders, the right to participate, right to their rights being respected and liberty from the state. 
Abhisit also addressed the upcoming referendum, saying that the billions of baht spent would be of no use if voters felt limited under fears of infringing on the referendum law. 
He called on the Election Commission (EC) to ensure it does not misinterpret the term “provoking”. 
The people, he said, should be given the opportunity to campaign so the referendum is legitimate. 
Abhisit made these remarks when pointing out the legacy of the ‘Black May’ heroes and how they contributed greatly to the development of rights and freedom under different |constitutions. 
‘Black May’ in 1992 saw people rise against outsider premier Suchinda Kraprayoon, which ended with a bloody crackdown that resulted in many deaths. 
Abhisit noted that this phenomenon set a norm and now people do not tolerate any abuse of power in Parliament, especially in terms of designating a non-MP premier. The public had demonstrated a strong determination to hang on to their right to self-determination and had shown that they could march peacefully against the state, he said. 
Hence he noted that demonstrations did not necessarily mean trouble and called on the powers-that-be to not consider them negatively and allow peaceful protests to be held, as it was fundamentally people’s right. 
Abhisit also called for amnesty to be granted to ordinary protesters for the sake of reconciliation. 
Only leaders, including politicians like himself, should be tried in court, he added. 
Other speakers yesterday included former Parliament speaker Bhokin Bhalakula and Thammasat University law professor Parinya Thaewanarumitkul. 
Bhokin cheered the rights and freedoms allowed in Thai constitutions, adding that they have developed impressively over time and were in line with the international Declaration of Human Rights. 
However, he said the latest draft charter was just an attempt to rearrange people’s rights and liberty, as well as mix up the duties of the state, which would only cause |further confusion as the state is not actually a legal individual and |cannot be sued if it fails to fulfil the tasks as designated. 
He also questioned whether the draft has provided sufficient rights and freedom for the people. 
Like Abhisit, he too expressed concerns about the current restrictions under the referendum law, saying |people should be given the freedom to express themselves so the charter draft gets accepted. 
Parinya, meanwhile, said the guarantee for people’s rights and freedoms in the draft charter was regressive and similar to the embattled 1991 Constitution, under which the powers-that-be were handpicked by the Senate. 
The professor also said it was not nice to keep people in the dark about what is lying ahead for them if they turn the charter draft down in the |referendum. 
Yesterday was the 24th anniversary of the ‘Black May’ crisis, and |relatives of those who lost their loved ones held a ritual in the morning to make merit for those killed. 
The heroes were honoured with garlands laid by the people who attended, including some high-profile politicians. 
 

 

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