Two-day joint charter sitting starts Thursday | Bangkok Post: news

Government and senate whips have agreed to a joint debate on three draft charter amendments on Thursday and Friday, government chief whip Udomdet Rattanasathian said on Tuesday.

The agreement was reached at a meeting of the whips on Monday. The opposition whips boycotted the meeting.

Mr Udomdet said it was agreed that the debate on Thursday would be from 9.30am to midnight and on Friday from 9.30am to 8pm.

Government MPs, opposition MPs and senators would each have a total of eight hours to debate the bills. The government would be allowed 90 minutes to propose the charter amendment drafts to the joint sitting of the two houses.

The government, opposition and senate whips were due to meet again on Thursday at 10.30am to make proper arrangements, but the opposition might not participate, he said.

Senate chief whip Nikom Wairatpanich said he did not expect any problems during the two-day debate.

Cholanan Srikaew, secretary of the government whips, said the charter amendment debate would be broadcast live on the state-run NBT television channel.

After the draft amendments were accepted in principle in the first reading, a joint scrutiny committee comprising 45 members - 35 MPs from all political parties and 10 senators - would be set up, Mr Cholanan said.

Opposition chief whip Jurin Laksanavisit (Photo by Apichart Weerawong)