A total of 4,268 forums will be organised nationwide to gather opinions from the general public, academics and students on the 11 areas of planned reform, Lt Gen Pisith Sithisarn, director of the Reconciliation Centre for Reform (RCR), said on Thursday.
Lt Gen Pisith, the army deputy chief-of-staff, said the government is now in the second stage of the National Council for Peace and Order's (NCPO) roadmap for reform.
It is now the period for gathering ideas and the drafting of a permanent constitution.
The RCR plans to gather reform opinions by holding 4,268 forums throughout the country under the title "All Thais with the one same heart".
The forums will be run by tambon administration organisations (TAOs) and municipalities to allow the general public, students and academics of colleges and universities, and people representing various occupations, to give their opinions and suggestions on reform in the 11 areas designated by the NCPO. Lt Gen Pisith said the aim was end conflicts.
Prior permission from each commander of the four army regions, in their capacity as RCR regional directors, is required before a forum is held, as some issues for discussion may be sensitive.
A forum can be held whenever a TAO or municipality feels it is ready.
Lt Gen Pisith said the RCR has a deadline of September to finish the project. Therefore opinions can be drawn from forums for collation up until June and July. After that the RCR will provide a summary and forward it to the NCPO.
The RCR also plans to organise "Thai identity" fairs in 16 provinces of the four regions, beginning on Dec 19 in Lop Buri in the Central Plains, Nakhon Ratchasima in the Northeast, Chiang Mai in the North and Nakhon Si Thammarat in the South.