Thais vote on military-drafted charter

BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) -- Thais voted on Sunday in a referendum on a military-drafted constitution analysts say is aimed at preventing a repeat of the Thaksin Shinawatra era, a single party government led by a charismatic politician.

Despite multiple reservations, Thais are expected to approve the draft which Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, appointed after a bloodless coup ousted the twice-elected Thaksin last year, promises will lead to a general election by the end of the year.

"This is a critical transition for Thailand, so I would like to ask people to go out and vote," Surayud said on television ahead of the vote.

The government decreed there be no opinion polls ahead of the vote and Surayud and the military council at his back are clearly nervous about a low turn-out in a poll Thaksin has dubbed "fruit of the poisonous tree" from his exile in London.

Although approval needs only a simple majority, a low turn out would be a serious embarrassment for the government and be seen as an endorsement of Thaksin, still hugely popular in the countryside which swept him to successive election victories.

But a massive government campaign for the draft, reinforced by 400,000 military personnel to persuade people to vote for it, and the promise of elections to a parliament which could amend it, are likely to see it through.

Defeat of the draft could deepen the political turmoil which began with street protests against Thaksin, accused of corruption and abuse of power, 18 months ago, analysts say.

Passage would be a relief to many Thais who have watched the turmoil, which erupted when Thaksin's family sold its controlling share in the telecommunications empire he founded for $1.9 billion, tax free, hold back economic growth.

Election Commissioner Sodsri Satayatham said she believed the turnout would exceed 70 percent in a referendum on a charter analysts see as designed to restore rule by the elites challenged by Thaksin, the son of an ethnic Chinese silk merchant.

The constitution would put Thailand back in the era of "managed democracy" of the 1980s under ex-army chief Prem Tinsulanonda, now chief royal adviser and seen by the Thaksin camp as the coup mastermind.

"The most important thing now is for Thais to be reconciled," Prem said after voting. "I hope the referendum will end misunderstanding among Thais, leading them to a clean and fair election and narrowing their different opinions."

A majority vote against the constitution, drafted by a council appointed by the military, would allow the military to pick one of Thailand's previous 17 constitutions, revise it and promulgate it within 30 days.

Coup leader and army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin said on Friday that if the charter were rejected, it would take him "a couple of days" to pick his favorite constitution and make amendments to it.

Election officials expect to have a preliminary result of the referendum late on Sunday and an official result on Monday. E-mail to a friend

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