POLITICS
PAD to rally against amendment bid today
Dressed to thrill
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej wears a pakema with his suit at an exhibition of the Armed Forces Development Command's work in Don Muang district yesterday. Behind him is Supreme Commander Gen Boonsrang Niempradit. |
The People Power party-led government has apparently changed its strategy in its attempt to amend the 2007 charter by postponing the reconvening of the parliament to next Wednesday.
As the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has planned to mobilise over 100,000 protesters to rally against the government's charter rewrite bid at the parliament today, government chief whip Samart Kaewmeechai said the parliament will reconvene for the first meeting on Aug 6 instead of today, as previously scheduled.
Moreover, Mr Samart said the government whip expects to file a charter amendment motion on Aug 18.
Mr Samart said the whip is waiting for the special House committee studying the enforcement of the 2007 charter chaired by Kramol Thongthammachart to finish their study on Aug 18.
The government whip will file two amendment motions separately, said Mr Samart.
The first motion will seek to rewrite important issues in the charter, such as the election system for MPs and the selection system for senators.
Once the first motion passes the parliament's readings, the government whip will file the second motion, which focuses on the rewrite of Articles 190, 237 and 266.
Article 190 requires the government to seek approval from the parliament on all international agreements it is to commit on behalf of the Thai public.
Article 237 states that political parties of which an executive is found guilty of electoral fraud shall be dissolved, while the party's executives will be banned from politics for five years.
Article 266 forbids members of the House of Representatives and the Senate from intervening in the operations and reshuffles in state agencies, state enterprises, organisations in which the government is the major shareholder or local administrative organisations.
Mr Samart said he expected the parliament will finish reading both motions in four months or by the end of the current assembly session.
As PAD has announced its plan for a mass rally at the parliament today, Prime Minister's Office Minister Chusak Sirinin said he did not want trouble. He said the PAD's activities should be sensible, and that the government is prepared to listen to their arguments.
Deputy police chief Wirot Phaholwet said the number of police officers monitoring the rally would not be increased, as police believed the protest would be peaceful.
However, he said a number of officers have been instructed to stand by.
Pol Gen Wirot added he has also assigned Pol Lt-Gen Aswin Kwanmuang, Metropolitan Police chief, to negotiate with PAD leaders in temporarily removing their stage to clear the way for the royal motorcade on Aug 12, which is Her Majesty the Queen's birthday.
Tuang Anthachai, a selected senator and former member of the defunct National Legislative Assembly, opposed the government's attempt to amend the 2007 charter, saying it was untimely.
Mr Tuang said he and more than half of his fellow senators would soon meet to decide their stance on the allegedly ''self-serving'' bid to amend the charter.
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