The Charter Drafting Committee (CDC) yesterday declined to stipulate in the draft charter that Buddhism is the national religion as proposed by Buddhism campaigners.
Speaking at the CDC's deliberation of the draft charter conducted in Phetchaburi's Cha-am district yesterday, CDC spokesman Amorn Wanichwiwatana said he understood that those proposing to include a statement about the national religion in the draft had sound reasons. However, the CDC was not convinced that that would lead to any practical outcome.
The CDC saw no reason to simply state in the draft charter that Buddhism is the national religion while leaving unanswered how the country would actually benefit from this, said Mr Amorn.
Acts offending Buddhism will continue even if the proposed statement is included in the charter, he said.
Udom Rathamarit, another CDC spokesman, said the CDC had already passed the Rights and Liberties of the People part of the charter.
The CDC also decided to cut the ambiguity of Section 7 in the 2007 constitution which says that when no provision under the constitution is applicable to any case, the matter shall be decided in accordance with the traditions of the constitutional monarchy, he said.
The section was previously criticised as potentially paving the way for seeking royal appointment of an unelected prime minister.
The CDC instead requires that the Constitutional Court rule in this case.
The charter drafter also deliberated on a proposal to ban hate speech.
Although the proposed ban had yet to be included in a separate section of the draft charter, the CDC inserted it in several sections for the sake of national reconciliation, said Mr Amorn.