Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has hit back at the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship's action in setting up a centre to monitor for fraud in the scheduled charter referendum on Aug 7.
He asked why the UDD did not do this after the previous government launched the rice-pledging scheme that was plagued with corruption.
Gen Prayut made this remark on Monday when asked to comment on the launch of the UDD centre by core members including Jatuporn Prompan at the Imperial Lat Phrao department store.
"Let them open it, but I don't accept it as a legal entity," the apparently irritated prime minister said.
"If it wasn't being trumpeted by the media it would be meaningless. Let them set it up, but it will not have any legal standing. The centre must not violate the Referendum Act, otherwise all concerned will be arrested.
"Don't intrude on the voting boxes. Don't ever say whether to kill or not to kill (the draft charter), for that will be a breach of the Referendum Act.
"The centre itself must be careful. Why was a centre like this not set up when the rice-pledging scheme was launched and was plagued with corruption. Why not?"
Gen Prayut was referring to the rice-pledging scheme of the government under former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Asked about an opinion survey by Master Poll which said community leaders still supported the National Council for Peace and Order, Gen Prayut said he was not interested in any survey.
A poll survey which was in favour of the government did not make him feel any better, because the country still had so many problems that needed to be solved.