The project will draw on academic research and open seminars to provide independent advice to the government, said Anusorn, also a board member and secretary of the PPDO. All sectors of society will be encouraged to participate and the seminars will be held around the country throughout the year, he said.

The first seminar, "Thailand's Revolution and Pridi Banomyong's Ideology", will be held on Thursday at the Pridi Banomyong Institute.

Pridi, who died in 1983 while living in exile in Paris, was the former prime minister and regent who led the Free Thai Movement against Japanese occupation during World War II. Speakers will include economist Pasuk Phongpaichit, legal expert Preecha Suwannathat and historian Nidhi Eoseewong.

Anusorn said the project would provide an alternative channel to seek solutions to national problems as it would be independent and neutral even though the government was sponsoring it.

The project's aims are to provide advice to the government based on academic research and to build trust among the public that the advice is for the sake of the country, he said.

Anusorn said he would ensure the project remained free from government intervention and that it would continue even if its funding were cut.

"Constitutional amendments do not ensure better politics for Thailand as the Constitution is not the problem," he said. "Political reform needs independent organisations that are truly independent and belong to the people. Then vote-buying and corruption will decrease until they have no effect on politics."

"As long as people are poor and uneducated, they can be bought and the rich can dominate politics," he said. "Fair income distribution is crucial."

The project was his idea and the current political tension motivated him to pursue it. The political crisis was the result of people not listening to others' views and becoming obsessed with trying to defeat their opponents, he said. At the same time the lives of the underprivileged are worsening, he added.

Pun-arj Chairatana, a PPDO director and the project's secretary, said the project would cover politics, the economy, social issues and morality.

Sauwalak Kittiprapas, the project's vice chairperson, said it would give the underprivileged a voice in society. The PPDO had conducted a number of studies on controversial issues, such as free-trade agreements, the privatisation of state enterprises and problems in the restive South, she said.

Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation