"If our voice is not loud enough, we will increase the number of people [to make the demands]," said Witthayakorn Chiangkool, chairman of the People's Participation Committee for the Drafting of the Constitution under the Office of the Prime Minister's Permanent Secretary.

"Perhaps they have been receiving too many letters and haven't read it [the panel's report]. We may have to exert more energy in order to convince them to listen, as we have good recommendations," he said.

Some of the suggestions compiled by the committee - which claims to have met 10,000 people - include calls for universal healthcare service, free college education, and ensuring citizens have the right to hold a referendum on controversial mega-projects.

Witthayakorn, a pro-democracy student activist turned academic, said much of the first draft constitution may contain pleasing words but it is unlikely to translate into reality.

"There're no guarantee," he said. "They wrote it beautifully as if to fool us. Perhaps they're fooling us with good intentions but no concrete guarantee is offered."

Examples cited by Witthayakorn, who led a meeting on the draft charter with journalists from around the Kingdom in Bangkok yesterday, include a requirement that Parliament approves treaties such as free-trade agreements.

"What if a future administration has the majority control of Parliament?" he said.

Another example is how union rights are never really protected by the state.

"We have tens of millions of workers but only a few hundred thousands union members. Workers can be fired just because they're thinking of forming a union, and there's no protection."

Witthayakorn also decried the criteria for future appointed senators in placing a minimum requirement that they hold a bachelor's degree.

"Local sages or union leaders should also be qualified," he said.

Boonlert Changyai, a newspaper editor representing the Thai Journalists Association, said he was concerned about likely abuse of Article 35, which contains a new requirement that the media must ask for "permission" before publishing or reporting "personal details" of any individual.

"I think there's a hidden agenda. I'm against it and it's very severe. Do we now have to ask for a prisoner's permission before publishing their details? And if the answer is no, what are we to do?"

Takerng Somsab, representing the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, said he was not sure if the new requirement that bars politicians from owning or being involved in media ownership will work.

"It's good to have it written down, but a multilevel proxy can still do it. Can they prevent that?"

Little-known journalists from the provinces took the floor to air their views in the afternoon, and many were against an appointed Senate.

 "Why are we being regressive and refusing the people's participation?" said one journalist.

A few noted that rural people have no clue about either the drafting process or content of the draft charter.

"I for one do not understand a single article. Information is not trickling down to villagers at grassroots level. They told me we're simply going to wait until referendum day. They said a 'knight on a white horse will come' and tell them how to vote in due time," confessed one male radio journalist from Roi Et province.

"In my area," he said, "the sentiment is for rejecting it."

Hearing many voices saying local people have no clue about what is going on, a female TITV journalist said: "We should simply campaign for the endorsement of the charter."

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation