Ambitious charter change 'unlikely'
Thaksin: Amnesty to remain tabled
- Published: 26 Sep 2012 at 03.08
- Online news: Local News
SINGAPORE : Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra said his sister's government will avoid conflicts like those that led to his ouster in a 2006 coup, even as it presses ahead with efforts to curb the power of the courts.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's ruling Pheu Thai Party will probably drop plans to completely rewrite the constitution, amending it section-by-section instead to avoid challenges that caused previous governments to fall, Thaksin said in Singapore on Monday."If we cannot amend the constitution that we have now, it's difficult," said Thaksin, who has lived overseas since fleeing a 2008 jail sentence. "It's like the government is living in a house full of land mines. So you have to be very cautious."The approach may extend the tenure of Ms Yingluck's 13-month-old government, which has already outlasted the last Thaksin-linked administration that collapsed in 2008 after yellow-shirt protesters seized Bangkok's two airports.The government will push to change the charter even after the Constitution Court ruled in July that a referendum should be held before the document is overhauled.Planned amendments would decrease the power of independent agencies such as the Constitution Court and give more say to elected officials, Thaksin said.Thaksin's opponents, who accused him of using government agencies to attack his political foes while he was in charge, say his proposed changes will allow him to recoup his seized fortune and return to Thailand without spending time in jail.In 2008, Thaksin fled abuse of power charges for helping his then-wife buy land from the government.In 2010, a court seized 46.4 billion baht held by Thaksin's family after ruling that policies during his five years as prime minister increased the value of Shin Corp, the telecommunications company now controlled by Temasek.Thaksin declined to reveal his net worth."The principle is about justice," Thaksin said, referring to his seized wealth. "Did I have enough justice? Did they treat me correctly? Did they observe the rule of law? If not, I have to be remedied."Two weeks after his cash was seized, the Thaksin-backed red shirts began protests that shut down Bangkok's commercial centre and led to a crackdown by the Democrat-led government of the time that left 92 people dead.Thaksin said bills...
This article is older than 60 days, which we reserve for our premium members only.You can subscribe to our premium member subscription, here.
