A group of politicians and members of an old power clique have set up a fund of almost three billion baht to ignite a workers' movement to overthrow the government, Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit claimed on Thursday.
Pheu Thai party list MP and spokesman Prompong Nopparit (Photo by Pattarachai Preechapanich)
His accusation came after a group of factory workers held a rally on Bangkok's outskirts to protest against the movement to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law.
Mr Prompong claimed that the protesting factory workers had each received 500 baht per day, money contributed by a group of politicians and the old power clique.
"The group is trying to link the government and Pheu Thai with the Nitirat group's proposed amendment to the lese majeste law, and this is also an attempt to prevent the government from amending the constitution,'' he complained.
"The people behind this are the same group of people behind the Sept 19, 2006 coup and I believe they will get caught soon," said Mr Prompong, who is a Pheu Thai party list MP.
Pheu Thai will not amend the lese majeste law since it would not benefit the people. The party just wants constitutional amendment, he said.
The spokesman said the opposition Democrat Party had a hidden agenda as shown by its move to file a petition, signed by 145 MPs, with the senate speaker seeking the impeachment of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul over the reissuing of an ordinary Thai passport for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
"The reissuing [of the passport] was done by the foreign minister and had nothing to do with the premier," Mr Prompong said.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (left) and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul (Photo by Kosol Nakachol)
Ms Yingluck on Dec 28 received a letter from the Democrats asking her to revoke the reissuing of a passport for her elder brother and fugitive Thaksin, and was given a seven-day deadline.
Mr Prompong said the Democrats might be violating Section 266, which prohibits MPs from interfering in administrative affairs, and be spreading false information to destroy Ms Yingluck's credibility.
"Pheu Thai is examining the information before making a decision whether to take legal action against the Democrat Party," he said.
Pheu Thai legal team member of the Pichit Chuenban said the Foreign Ministry has the legal authority to issue passports.
"After the Democrats filed the petition, the secretariat of the prime Mmnister sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry asking it to explain [the reissuing of a passport for Thaksin].
"Therefore, Mr Surapong was not negligent in his duty since it's a disagreement on a point of law between him and former foreign minister Kasit Piromya," Mr Pichit said.