Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has forbidden Pheu Thai Party MPs from travelling to meet him overseas while the process to amend the constitution is ongoing.
Pheu Thai deputy spokesman Jirayu Huangsap said yesterday that Thaksin, the de facto leader of Pheu Thai, instructed the party's MPs not to visit him him in the middle of deliberating charter changes to prevent cancellations of meetings because of a lack of quorum.
Mr Jirayu said Pheu Thai MPs acknowledged this and promised they would not visit Thaksin, who is now in Beijing, and would concentrate on their duties as lawmakers. The joint House-Senate parliamentary session is expected to finish its second reading of the draft charter amendment bill today, Mr Jirayu said.
Meanwhile, Mr Jirayu defended Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief Tarit Pengdith over a dereliction of duty lawsuit he faces in connection with his handling of lese majeste cases.
He said the Pheu Thai administration believes in Mr Tarit's impartiality in handling lese majeste charges against red shirt leaders. Mr Jirayu's comments came after Democrat Party MP Watchara Phetthong filed a lawsuit against Mr Tarit accusing him of dereliction of duty after the DSI dropped lese majeste charges against Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Prompan and other core red shirt members.
Nineteen red shirt leaders, including Mr Jatuporn, were accused of making inappropriate comments about the monarchy during a rally on April 10, 2010.
But the DSI recommended dropping the charges on Thursday saying the speeches at the rally were not in violation of Section 112 of the Criminal Code, better known as the lese majeste law.
The DSI chief survived the change in administration when the Pheu Thai-led government came to power.
Mr Tarit continued his work without being transferred because he had a record of performing his duties correctly and impartially, Mr Jirayu said.
He said the government never interfered with the DSI, which is still handling several cases against the Pheu Thai Party.