Whip says Prayut 'ready for grilling'
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Whip says Prayut 'ready for grilling'

Parliament to debate PM's unfinished oath

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is ready for the opposition's grilling over his incomplete oath recital in a parliamentary general debate on Wednesday, PM's Office Minister Tewan Liptapallop said.

Mr Tewan, who is also a government whip, said Gen Prayut had told cabinet ministers to attend the meeting as the debate, which will proceed without a vote, targets the entire cabinet.

The opposition will also grill the prime minister over the government's alleged failure to identify financial sources to support the government's budget spending during a parliamentary session in which the government spelt out its policy statement in July, Mr Tewan said.

He said Gen Prayut has instructed various agencies, such as the Budget Bureau, to prepare information for him to respond to the opposition.

Mr Tewan confirmed Gen Prayut will attend the House meeting on Wednesday, but it is not known whether the prime minister will answer the opposition's questions himself or assign others to do so on his behalf.

Gen Prayut led his cabinet ministers in taking the oath of office before His Majesty the King on July 16. The prime minister failed to complete the oath, as he omitted the final sentence during the swearing-in, upsetting his critics in parliament.

On Sept 11, the Constitutional Court rejected a petition lodged by the Ombudsman on Gen Prayut's incomplete oath recital. The court said oath-taking is a political issue and concerns a "specific relationship" between the cabinet and the monarchy.

It was beyond the jurisdiction of the court to examine issues between the administrative branch and the monarchy.

Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a former member of the dissolved Thai Raksa Chart Party, on Sunday said he will petition the National Anti-Corruption Commission today to investigate court judges who rejected his complaint over the prime minister's oath-taking controversy.

Mr Ruangkrai said Gen Prayut's incomplete oath recital constituted a violation of Section 49 of the constitution. The section prohibits action that infringes upon the constitutional monarchy.

The court said it found no evidence to back Mr Ruangkrai's suspicion.

But Mr Ruangkrai said the court accepted another petition filed by a lawyer and former adviser to chief Ombudsman, Natthaporn Toprayoon, who accused Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn and his party executives of trying to bring an end to the monarchy in violation of the same charter section.

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