The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has blamed opponents of the government for stepping up disorder ahead of the draft charter referendum following the destruction of a copy of eligible voters' lists in the North over the weekend.
NCPO spokesman Piyapong Klinpan said that the destruction of the lists put up on a notice board was unprecedented. It was not an act of sabotage between conflicting political parties or persons but an act against the government who was inviting people to cast their votes in the Aug 7 charter referendum.
"It is believed that it was an act of those with different stances from the government's," Col Piyapong said.
He was referring to the destruction of a copy of eligible voters' lists at a poll booth in Wachirasan Sueksa School in tambon Salokbat of Khanu Woralaksaburi district on Saturday. Local officials earlier suspected drunk men or teenage motorcyclists who were there at that time.
Col Piyapong said the destruction of voters' lists, letters containing lies about the content of the draft charter, and false information in social media about the draft and the referendum were orchestrated by the parties which were losing their interests.
The NCPO spokesman also referred to the accusations via Facebook and Line networks that their online privacy might be breached if people checked their referendum-voting rights at the website www.khonthai.com of the Department of Provincial Administration.
In any case, he did not think that these acts would have any impact on the referendum and eligible voters.
The closer the referendum is, the more the attempts to intensify disorder and confusion, Col Piyapong said.
He added that the NCPO was trying to find the people who destroyed the voters' lists and sent about 12,000 letters distorting the content of the draft charter to the northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Lampang and Lamphun.
On Sunday, Chamnanwit Terat, deputy director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration, said eligible voters could safely check their names by inputting ID card numbers at www.khonthai.com.
He also said local officials had to take legal action against the saboteurs and protect official documents.