BANGKOK — Several dozen people attended a Buddhist ceremony at Wat Pathumwanaram in Bangkok this morning to honor the six civilians who died there during a military crackdown on Redshirt protesters five years ago.

The group was led by Payao Akhard, whose daughter was working as a volunteer nurse inside the temple when she was shot and killed by soldiers on 19 May 2015.

"I have done this every year because I miss her," Payao said. "And I want to let her know that I am still fighting for justice on her behalf."

The ceremony at Wat Pathumwanaram Temple in Bangkok on 19 May 2015.

Although Thai authorities blocked a similar ceremony for victims of the crackdown last month, today's low-key event was allowed to go forward. 

Soldiers and police at Wat Pathumwanaram initially attempted to bar reporters from entering the temple this morning, but eventually relented after one of the victim’s relatives promised the ceremony would be strictly religious in nature.

Plain-clothed security officers were seen observing the ceremony from a distance. 

Political events are still banned by the ruling military junta that toppled a Redshirt-backed government one year ago. Redshirt supporters normally gather in Bangkok by the thousands to mark the crackdown’s anniversary, but they were forced to cancel this year's event in compliance with the junta’s orders.

Five years ago today, on 19 May 2010, the military squashed a mass Redshirt protest movenment in Bangkok, after weeks of deadly skirmishes between demonstrators and security forces had turned parts of the city into a war zone. More than 90 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the unrest.  

As the military advanced toward the Redshirts' main encampment on Ratchaprasong Intersection, hundreds of Redshirts fled intoWat Pathumwanaram, which was designated as a "safe zone" by the government at the time. 

However, a group of soldiers opened fire into the temple from an elevated skytrain track, according to photographs, videos, and witnesses' testimonies. The gunfire left six people dead, including three protesters, two volunteer medics, and one rescue worker. A court inquest in 2013 ruled that the soldiers were responsible for the deaths. 

Five years later, no soldier or state official has been held responsible for the crackdown.

In late 2010, former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy, Suthep Thaugsuban, were charged with murder for authorizing the crackdown, but the court dropped the case in August 2014 and assigned the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to investigate the pair for "abuse of power" instead. 

Payao said she will meet with NACC officials to ask about the case's progress soon.

"I don't want this case to fall silent," she said. 

Anek Laothamathas, a member of the junta-appointed National Reform Council (NRC), made a suprising appearance at the ceremony this morning. 

He told reporters he accepted an invitation from Payao, and said he believes Thailand has much to learn from the 2010 crackdown, without elaborating.

"I think the society in the present time has to learn lessons and move past this conflict," Anek said.

Some relatives of the victims privately told Khaosod they were upset by Anek's appearance because he is a member of the military junta's government. 

Several military commanders who played major role in the 2010 crackdown are now leading the junta, including junta chairman and Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the coup last May, and Minister of Defense Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan. 

BANGKOK — Thailand's military junta has agreed to hold a referendum on the draft of its new post-coup charter, without specifying what options the ballot will offer.

The decision, which was reached in a joint meeting between the junta and the Cabinet today, came after pro-democracy activists, politicians from Thailand's major parties, and even officials in the military government had voiced support for the measure.

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha at the Government House in Bangkok, 19 May 2015.

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who chairs both the junta and the Cabinet, said his government will ask the interim parliament he appointed to amend the current constitution to allow for a referendum, which is not mentioned in the charter's present form. 

"Once the constitutional amendment is done, we will immediately proceed with the referendum," Gen. Prayuth told reporters today. "Our duty is to make the law that allows for the procedure. As for the procedures themselves, they will be left to relevant agencies. The referendum will be the duty of the Election Commission." 

Gen. Prayuth said he could not comment on what choices the referendum will offer voters who reject the charter.

In the referendum for the post-coup 2007 charter, which was also drafted by a junta-appointed council, voters were only permitted to accept or decline the document. Critics say that many voters reluctantly approved the junta’s charter out of fear that the undisclosed alternative would be worse.

The current junta, known officially as the National Council for Peace and Order, dissolved the 2007 constitution after seizing power from an elected government last May. Gen. Prayuth then appointed a committee to draft a new "permanent" constitution, which will be Thailand’s 20^th since democracy was established in 1932.

Surachai Liengboonlertchai, deputy chairperson of the National Legislative Assembly, said amending the junta’s interim charter will take approximately 15 days. He added that the amendment may include more details about the referendum. 

"In the amendment, I think there should be conditions of the referendum, for example, what will happen in the event that the people do not approve the constitution draft," Surachai said. 

Asked whether the junta will relax its ban on political activities to allow the public to voice opinions on the constitution draft, Surachai replied, "I think that should be the case, because the Organic Act on Referendum clearly states that there has to be forums where people can express their opinions freely, in order to promote understanding of the constitution draft." 

The referendum is expected to postpone the timeline for elections, which are currently scheduled for early 2016, by three months.

Critics say the current draft of the junta's charter establishes an uneven balance of power that cripples elected politicians and favors appointed "independent" agencies, whose members are historically allied with the traditional elite. The charter’s most controversial features include the establishment of a mostly-appointed Senate and the option for an unelected Prime Minister.

Some pro-democracy activists and politicians have proposed the junta organize a referendum that would allow voters to choose between the junta’s charter and the 1997 constitution, which was written by an elected assembly and is known as the "People’s Constitution" for its egalitarian nature.

Other activists in Thailand have campaigned for a referendum that would give Thais the chance to elect a fresh assembly of drafters to pen a new charter altogether.

YALA — Eight roadside banners which appeared to be written by local separatists were found in the southern border region of Thailand today, following a three-day bombing spate that wounded more than 20 people.

Five of the banners were hung on the side of roads in Yala province, and three more were found in the neighboring province of Narathiwat. 

Soldiers remove a separatist banner in Yala province on 18 May 2015.

The text on the banners read: "Trickery, fraud, lies, using people as their tools: [these are the] professions of the Siamese colonizers from the past to the present. Die! If you remove [this banner], you die!"

Police believe the banners were hung by local Muslim militants who are seeking to revive the Islamic state of Pattani, which was annexed by Thailand – then known as Siam – in the early 20th century. 

A bomb exploded while security officers were dismantling one of the banners in Yala's Bannang Sata district, though no one was injured by the blast. No other bombs were found near the other banners.

The banners were found several days after nearly 40 bombsrocked Yala's town center over the weekend, injuring at least 22 people. 

The bloody separatist campaign as claimed the lives of more than 6,200 people, mostly civilians, since early 2004. 

Experts say the insurgency is mostly fueled by ethnic and religious differences. While the vast majority of Thailand is Buddhist, the southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani are mostly populated by Muslims who speak a Malay dialect.  

Although most of the casualties have died in attacks staged by insurgent groups, Thai authorities have also been criticized for using excessive violence and violating human rights in their effort to combat the movement.