Citizen activist Sirawit Serithiwat, also known as "Ja New", and supporters submitted a petition calling for a motion of no confidence in the ruling junta to the head of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Friday.
They demanded a debate on the motion and requested the removal of the entire National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) over allegations of corruption and rights abuse.
The leader of the ‘Start-up People’ political activist group was seen submitting the letter requesting a motion of no confidence to NLA chief Pornpetch Vichitcholchai in front of Dusit Zoo, near the parliament.
Mr Sirawat said the NCPO was unfit to run the country. The government’s mismanagement had resulted in unprecedented damage to the economy, he alleged. It was also damaging to foreign relations, which further affected growth.
“The NCPO never listens to the voices of the people, yet they arrest those who stand up to criticise their appalling performance. They also use violence against students who express their opinions, which is a violation of their rights,” Mr Sirawit said.
He said there were growing allegations of corruption in government purchases and the allocation of the national budget, with no transparency. This benefitted those who were within or were tied to the NCPO.
“I would like to request the NLA members, who are acting as members of parliament under section 263 of the 2017 constitution, to bring on a public debate with a motion of no confidence in the NCPO in accordance with section 151.
"Under the constitution, it is the duty of the NLA to arrange a public debate and investigate corruption allegations when the people lose confidence in the government.” Mr Sirawit added.
He then made his way to the parliament building and also submitted a formal request for a public debate to the deputy secretary-general of the office of the senate, Pongsak Arunpakdisakul.
Mr Sirawit demanded the NLA to take action within 30 days. If the NLA refused to act by the third week of January, the Start-Up People group would organise a public debate of their own across the nation.