BANGKOK — The junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will convene for a two-day meeting to reach a consensus on the new charter before presenting a collective opinion to the drafting committee on 25 May.

NLA deputy chairman Surachai Liangboonlertchai said the assembly will meet on 15-16 May to discuss various aspects of the charter, including the requirements for Prime Ministers, MPs, and Senators, the power of independent watchdog agencies, and the dissolution of the National Human Rights Commission.

They will also discuss whether or not to put the charter up for a referendum vote, he said. 

"As for the means to reach the consensus, we may use voting or other methods. We will have to discuss this in the meeting," Surachai told reporters yesterday. "When the NLA reaches a consensus, we will submit our opinions to the Constitution Drafting Committee on 25 May."

The junta-appointed CDC was tasked with writing a new charter for Thailand shortly after the May 2014 coup. The junta, which toppled a democratically-elected government, also installed the NLA to function as an interim parliament.

Critics say the current charter draft – Thailand's 20th – is less democratic than previous constitutions in recent decades. According to the current draft, Prime Ministers are not required to be elected MPs, the Senate will not be directly elected by the public, and unelected watchdog agencies such as a ‘Moral Assembly’ will have power to scrutinize policies passed by parliament.

When asked whether he would be disappointed if junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha disagreed with the NLA’s opinions, Surachai replied, "We won't be disappointed. The Prime Minister has to look at the big picture in solving problems for the country, especially in matters of peace and order. We have to respect the Prime Minister as the decision-maker."

Surachai also told reporters that the Cabinet and junta will have the final say on whether there will be referendum. 

"In my reading, there is a lot of interest in referendum in society," Surachai said. "But in details, the society has not given clear answer on whether the referendum would cover the entire charter or just specific sections, and what they would want if the charter fails the vote."

Meanwhile, former Pheu Thai MP Samart Kaewmeechai said Pheu Thai leaders will submit their own opinions to the CDC about the new charter. Samart said the Pheu Thai Party will voice its disagreement over many clauses.

"[The charter] will cause the government after the election to lack stability," Samart said yesterday. "Prime Ministers will lack leadership. Independent agencies will spend more time finding faults than inspecting the government. In the end, the country will reach a dead end. It will affect the economy. Investors will not have confidence. Ultimately, there will be extra-legal method to dissolve the constitution again, and a new constitution will have to be drafted. It will be an endless cycle."

BANGKOK — In a sweep of Songkhla province this past week, Thai police have discovered a total of four vacated jungle camps they suspect were used by human traffickers to detain Rohingya refugees headed for Malaysia.

Thirty-three corpses were also uncovered near the sites, and 114 abandoned refugees were rescued in the area, according to police. The refugees include 24 Rohingyas, 69 Bangladeshis, and 16 people whose nationalities have not been verified.

Police found 54 abandoned Bangladeshi men in Songkhla on 8 May 2015.

A total of 29 arrests warrants have been issued in connection with the discovery of the camp sites, including 11 arrest warrants that were freshly approved by the court today, said Pol.Maj.Gen. Phuttichart Ekkachan, deputy commander of Ninth Region Police. 

Seven people, including a local mayor and other Thai officials, have been arrested and charged with human trafficking and other offenses. At least 50 police officers also under investigation for their connection to the camps. 

Police said no more suspected trafficking camps or bodies were found today, though the search is ongoing.

The four camps consisted of a total of 51 wooden shelters, which police believe were used to house hundreds of Rohingyas while traffickers secured ransom money from their relatives. Police believe the corpses belonged to Rohingyas who died of illness or malnourishment.

Several grave sites were discovered near the camps, though not all of them contained bodies.

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority that hail from western Myanmar, where they face violent persecution from a Buddhist population and severe discrimination from the state, which denies them citizenship. Around 300,000 stateless Rohingya are estimated to live in camps in bordering Bangladesh.

Since 2012, tens of thousands of Rohingyas have illegally entered Thai territories, often en route to Muslim-majority Malaysia. Many refugees have been exploited by human smugglers in Thailand, who detain them in the jungle camps for ransom, or sell them as slaves. For years, Thai authorities have largely turned a blind eye. 

Last June, the United States government downgraded Thailand to the lowest rank in its annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report for failing to meet the minimum standards to combat trafficking. 

Thailand’s military government, which came to power in a coup d'etat a month prior to the downgrade, says that eradicating human trafficking is a national priority. Junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has given local authorities 10 days to ensure clear any detention camps in their jurisdictions.

BANGKOK — A senior government official has advised parents to a monitor a recent online trend among preteen girls in Thailand that involves providing a home address to strangers on the internet in order to receive gifts in the mail.

Amphon Benjapolpitak, director of the Ministry of Public Health's Rajanukul Institute, which promotes mental health, warned that children may not be aware of the risks that come with sharing personal details on the internet.

"What children may not have thought about is that, when they are in the position that anyone can see them, there may be people who lurk quietly and monitor them," said Amphon. "It puts them in risk of danger."

She added, "The more information of children the criminals have, the higher the chance the children will encounter danger." 

Known as "F.C. recruitment" by many teens, the online trend consists of female school students – mostly in elementary level – posting videos on Youtube and asking strangers to join their "fan club," shortened as "F.C." 

According to the fad’s unofficial rules, the "fans" must mail gifts to the young "idols" regularly. The recipients will upload videos to show the presents that arrive. Some of the girls provide their home addresses in the videos, while others ask fans to contact them on the chat application LINE to receive their addresses.

Hundreds of such videos have been uploaded to Youtube and other websites in past two months.

Despite some social media site’s minimum age requirements – such as Facebook's, which is 13 – many children in Thailand regularly use social media. 

Instead of completely banning the fan club trend, Amphon suggested that parents talk to their children about the concept of privacy, and establish rules about what type of personal information is appropriate to share on the internet. She also encouraged parents to talk with their children about the trend so that adults can keep track of who their children are interacting with.  

"Children want to have the ability to make decisions on some issues on their own. We [adults] have to listen to them, and follow the results of such decisions," Amphon said. "If this kind of interaction exists in the families … there won't be incidents of children doing and hiding something."

Social media is extremely popular in Thailand. As of 2014, the Kingdom had 28 million Facebook users, 4.5 million Twitter users, and 1.7 million Instagram users, according to media reports.

BANGKOK — Thailand's Crown Prince has expressed concern over the safety of bicyclists following a spate of road accidents in recent days, a junta spokesperson said.

"His Royal Highness Vajiralongkorn has seen the news about accidents involving many cyclists in this period," said Maj.Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, a spokesperson for Thailand’s military government. "He is concerned for welfare of everyone. His Royal Highness also uses a bicycle to exercise regularly, so he has informed the Prime Minister to ensure safety on Thai roads for everyone."

Thailand's Crown Prince sent a bouqet of flowers to Wichian Pinkesorn, a popular cyclist who is being hospitalized for injuries caused by a collision with a motorcyclist in Bangkok, 7 May 2015. 

He added, "His Royal Highness would like to advise everyone that respecting traffic laws is the most important factor to reduce accidents."

Yesterday, the Crown Prince sent a bouqet of flowers to a popular cyclist who is being hospitalized for injuries caused by a collision with a motorcyclist in Bangkok on 6 May. 

Five cyclists have been killed on Thai roads in the past week alone, including three people in Chiang Mai province, a 31-year-old woman in Bangkok, and a 63-year-old man who was killed in a freak accident caused by a truck driver in Ayutthaya province.   

This morning, police received reports that yet another bicyclist was run over by a driver in Bangkok's Saphan Sung district. According to police, 75-year-old Supinan Chantarakul was cycling in the left lane when a pick-up truck slammed into him from behind, dragging the bicycle under the vehicle. Supinan has been sent to hospital. 

Police say they have detained the 26-year-old driver of the pick-up truck for interrogation. 

Cycling has been gaining popularity in Thailand in recent years as a form of exercise and way to evade notorious traffic jams in Bangkok and other cities. Thai authorities have also built new bike paths and organized several campaigns to encourage cycling. 

Thai roads are considered the second most dangerous in the world, according to the Transportation Research Institute, with a death rate nearly twice the global average.