The Kingdom of Thailand’s 2017 constitution is the 20th constitution of Thailand and the country’s current fundamental law. The transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy took place in 1932. Since then, several doubtful constitutional reforms have lead to political difficulties and struggles.
iLaw, also known as the «Internet Dialogue on Law Reform», was established in 2009 with the goal to promote democracy by encouraging people to exercise their right to submit legislative recommendations. Since then, using the website http://ilaw.or.th, iLaw has connected hundreds of people who share similar views with the aim of encouraging public engagement in the legislative process. iLaw has engaged in several public and advocacy campaigns concerning various issues such as constitutional amendments.
After martial law was imposed following the coup by the National Council for Peace and Order in 2014, iLaw has monitored and summarized the laws enacted by the leaders of the coup and its appointed proxies and made this available to the public.
Initiatives launched included election monitoring and petitioning for constitutional amendments. In September 2020, using the slogan ‘Join to dismantle, draft and create the constitution’, iLaw collected 100,732 signatures in support of a proposed constitutional amendment . However, three months later, and despite these efforts, parliament voted against the proposal.
In August 2023, three months after the most recent national elections, a public sector group called the 'The People’s Organization for Drafting a Constitution', employing the slogan 'Rewrite the entire constitution, 100% election,' collected 205,739 signatures in support using the iLaw platform. When the Election Commission informed iLaw just three days before the deadline that, under the Referendum Act, the use of electronic signatures would be restricted, iLaw partnered with other organizations and volunteers and successfully collected more than 200,000 physical signatures within three days.
Although the transition towards an ideal constitution is still work in progress, iLaw has succeeded in raising the level of democratic participation in Thailand to a whole new level.
Kannika Yodnin has been working at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Southeast Asia since 2023. She is in charge of the program for democracy and participation. Her responsibilities include supporting human rights advocates as well as LGBTIQ and feminist initiatives throughout Southeast Asia.