Surapon Nitikraipot, Rector of Thammasat University, has spoken in a public forum in defence of the 2006 coup and its resulting constitution.  He argued that anti-coup activists should have also opposed the 1997 Constitution, as it resulted from a coup in 1991.  As a law professor himself, he said that there were no double standards in prosecuting the red and yellow shirts, except that the cases were being handled sooner or later.  

On 25 Jan, Surapon spoke at a forum on reform for Thailand at Rangsit University.  Other panellists included Athit Urairat, Prawase Wasi and Witayakorn Chiengkul.

Surapon said that people opposed the 2007 Constitution because it resulted from the 2006 coup.  The so-called 1997 people’s charter was also a result of the coup in 1991.

He defended the 2007 Constitution as the only charter in Thai history that passed a referendum.  Although it is said that the people were fooled, the referendum was the voice of the people, he said.

He asked those who were against coups how they could accept the revolution in 1932 which seized the power of the king.           

Surapon said that some people complained about double standards.  3-4 parties had already been dissolved, but the Democrat Party has yet to be punished.  He explained that the Democrat Party had not violated the electoral law, and its executives had not bought votes.  The party has been accused of ‘misuse of money received from the Election Commission’, a case that occurred before the 2007 Constitution came into force.

He recalled that Charan Phakdithanakul, a drafter of the 2007 Constitution, had vowed to use ‘strong medicine’ to get rid of electoral fraud which was the main reason that democratic development stalled.  All parties had been well aware of the penalty of party dissolution before they entered into the elections in 2007.  So there were no double standards, he said.

Regarding the airport seizures and other political protests, the prosecutor has no other option other than to bring all cases to court regardless of the colour of the shirts.  So there are no double standards, either, but it is simply up to the prosecutor to decide when to proceed on each case, he said.