(Bangkok Post file photo)

National Legislative Assembly (NLA) president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said Tuesday he is considering proposing lighter measures to replace martial law when the final version of the new charter nears completion.

Mr Pornpetch said martial law has been enforced to deal mainly with security threats, especially those against the monarchy.

It has proved to be effective in handling lese majeste offences as the number of cases is on the decline, he said.

Under a National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) announcement, lese majeste cases are tried in military courts instead of the Criminal Court.

Mr Pornpetch said as security threats seem to have subsided as a result of martial law, he is considering proposing measures for its replacement. However, he declined to elaborate.

"My idea is to create a balance between state power and civil rights and liberties. And this balancing point can be changed as the situation changes.

"The situation that I think may be appropriate for an easing of martial law to create that balance is when we see what the new charter looks like. When the new charter is clear, possibly in June or even August, I may propose relaxing martial law," he said.

He admitted that calls for lifting martial law have grown out of concerns that it threatens civil rights and liberties.

However, he said enforcement of martial law by the NCPO has been relatively relaxed when compared with other coup-makers.

Meanwhile, Kamnoon Sidhisamarn, spokesman of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), conceded Tuesday that criticism of the draft charter is growing but said nothing is set in stone.

Mr Kamnoon said the charter drafters are open to suggestions and are willing to revise the draft.

Even though there is no guarantee the new rules will solve problems in a sustainable fashion, the CDC members have worked to the best of their ability to write one that they deem responds to the current needs and situation, he said.

He added that the CDC expects to forward the draft to the NCPO, the NLA, the cabinet and the National Reform Council (NRC) for consideration next month. They will have 30 days to study the draft charter and provide feedback.

He said the CDC will review every point raised by these bodies and take into consideration public opinion when it sits down to revise the draft charter.

Under the interim charter, the CDC may make changes to the draft constitution as recommended.

When the draft is submitted to the NRC for the final say, the NRC is required to accept or reject the whole draft, not on a per-section basis.

According to Mr Kamnoon, changes to the election system of MPs and senators are likely to be the top of the agenda.

Concerns are being raised especially about the proposal that senators should be "indirectly elected".

This is seen as favouring high-ranking state officials and weakening political parties.

Some critics suggest the new system will create an opportunity for many members of the NLA and NRC to become senators and prolong the powers of the five bodies set up by the coup-makers.

Asked about a proposal in the chapter on reforms and reconciliation that calls for a new reform body to be set up, Mr Kamnoon said the body is designed to see through national reforms and make sure the country does not face another crisis.

He insisted the reform body, which will serve for five years — longer than a new government and a new House of Representatives — is not an attempt to hold on to power as some people have argued.