Noppadon Announces Resignation

[george]

Noppadon announces resignation

BANGKOK: -- Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama Thursday announced resignation, which will take effect on July 14.

Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Ministry, Noppadon insisted that he and the Foreign Ministry had done the right thing regarding Thailands' stand over the registration of Preah Vihear Temple as a world heritage site.

But he said he had to resign because of he could not withstand the political and emotion storms, which have been battering him.

-- The Nation 2008-07-10

[Plus]

he and the Foreign Ministry had done the right thing

Except it was ruled unconstitutional.

[poshthai]

If he is a father would his name be POPPADON

ok i will leave now lol.

[jbowman1993]

Go crawl back up Thaksin's butt, where you belong Noppadon

Edited July 10, 2008 by jbowman1993

[Who, me ?]

No Pardon

[rixalex]

It's a blow.

[Siripon]

Wonderful news, 2 of Thaksin's minions gone in a few weeks. His tenure was a disgrace from the start, rushing to return the red passport, rushing to change the number to satisfy his paymaster, rushing to please Hun Sen to please his paymaster, what an absolute disgrace.

By the way, will Watana join Kamnan Poh in hiding in Cambodia? Will Thaksin be joining them soon?

[wrecker]

he and the Foreign Ministry had done the right thing

Except it was ruled unconstitutional.

You mean that the constitution was unconstitutionally changed by the junta? Change the constitution quickly. do not bother to write a new one, use the 1997 one let people vote on it and you can govern the country again.

[bKkRk]

I feel like I was just starting to get to know the real him. Bummer.

[Plus]

Signing international agreements without passing through the parlament was an offense under 1997 constitution as well.

[slimdog]

Signing international agreements without passing through the parlament was an offense under 1997 constitution as well.

What Noppadon signed, would not have needed parliamentry approval under the 1997 Constitution

Edited July 10, 2008 by slimdog

[hammered]

Signing international agreements without passing through the parlament was an offense under 1997 constitution as well.

The PPP government hardly use parliament for anything as we se from the first session where absolutely nothing was done in parliament. Same as the old TRT one who inspite of having amonster majority in parliament just used cabinet decrees instead of parliament for everything. In terms of democracy that practice was a retrograde step. What the arrogant and politically naive Noppadol did was just an extension of it. This ruling aprt from ridding us of bad suit man will hopefully also serve to remind government that parliament has a role in democracy.

Noppadol had no choice but to resign as he had breached the highest law of the land. The question remains that as the whole cabinet also endorsed this illegal bypassing of parliament should they also have to resign? Not saying that they will or anything as they have to make sure their dodgyish budget gets through to advantage them for any forthcoming election. Somethings change in Thailand but nothing really changes.

[Robbie Dye]

he and the Foreign Ministry had done the right thing

Except it was ruled unconstitutional.

No, that would be PoppadoM from The Delhi Diner, also not to be confused with Papa Doc who had something to do with Haiti maybe?

Edited July 10, 2008 by Robbie Dye

[hilly]

I down and several more to go. The Thai courts are to be commended.

[bkkjames]

I down and several more to go. The Thai courts are to be commended.

Who's next? shall we take a poll?

[Arkady]

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

It is a bit difficult for non-Thais to get excited about the Preah Vihear issue as Thailand seems to be disputing a 100 year old treaty with France and 50 year old World Court decision. The French did seem to deliberately ignore the wording of the treaty in order to include Preah Vihear on their side of the border but the World Court had a very reasonable point that Thailand had accepted the French map without complaint for decades but occupied the temple opportunistically following the French withdrawal from Indochina in the 50s.

Nevertheless it is a very sensitive issue for Thais and the Foreign Ministry had for years been pushing for some type of joint sponsorship of the World Heritage site which would have made a lot of sense, since the access from the Cambodian side is much more difficult for tourists and there are some parts of the temple complex in Thai territory. Noppadon appeared to have deliberately moved Foreign Ministry officials aside and ignored previous policy initiatives to pursue his own (or his master's) agenda re the temple, while failing utterly to do anything to prepare for the urgent work of Thailand's imminent presidency of ASEAN. It certainly looks suspicious, although we will never find out for sure what his real motivation was.

For the anti-Thaksin camp Noppadon's behavior over this and earlier as Thaksin's attorney and personal spokesman is especially shameful, since as a King's scholar, who received a scholarship to study law in the UK, he had vowed to come back and work for the good of the nation.

The Preah Vihear seems to have strong potential to bring down the Samak government. It is odd that Thais seem by and large to accept that their country is riddled with corruption to extent that what remains of their tax money which is already a very low percentage of GDP is woefully inadequate for the country's pressing needs. They only get excited about rather tenuous nationalistic issues such as this one and the Shin Corp sale to Singapore. Interestingly no one seems to be concerned any longer about Singapore controlling a major chunk of the telecoms network and Thailand's sattelite. It is hard to see the wood for the trees.

[Los78]

Signing international agreements without passing through the parlament was an offense under 1997 constitution as well.

What Noppadon signed, would not have needed parliamentry approval under the 1997 Constitution

With all the changes with the constitutions etc. I don't blame the guy making a mistake if he ever did it intentionally I really doubt it. Everything he has said is true and Thai soverignty is not breached as claimed by opponents. Everyone knows that the temple belonged to Cambodia and all the lies were made up discredit the governement. If you look at it its all just politics and its sad really. Its a shame that whatever decision has to be made even those necessary are all made into a political issue thesedays by PAD and its supporters. So much for progress..... PAD is just continuing to spread their lies and inciting dangerous disputes with neighbours to make the news nothing more.

[slimdog]

Signing international agreements without passing through the parlament was an offense under 1997 constitution as well.

The PPP government hardly use parliament for anything as we se from the first session where absolutely nothing was done in parliament. Same as the old TRT one who inspite of having amonster majority in parliament just used cabinet decrees instead of parliament for everything. In terms of democracy that practice was a retrograde step. What the arrogant and politically naive Noppadol did was just an extension of it. This ruling aprt from ridding us of bad suit man will hopefully also serve to remind government that parliament has a role in democracy.

Noppadol had no choice but to resign as he had breached the highest law of the land. The question remains that as the whole cabinet also endorsed this illegal bypassing of parliament should they also have to resign? Not saying that they will or anything as they have to make sure their dodgyish budget gets through to advantage them for any forthcoming election. Somethings change in Thailand but nothing really changes.

The constitutional court announcement has many far reaching consequences, and it is for sure that Parliament and the general public will have a far larger say in what does and doesn't happen both in and out of the country, and this will make somethings a lot more difficult , as just about every agreement made with a foreign country, whether it be about visa's, flights, embassies, selling or buying produce or raw material will now have to pass through a parliamentry and possibly a public hearing.

[Plus]

Signing international agreements without passing through the parlament was an offense under 1997 constitution as well.

What Noppadon signed, would not have needed parliamentry approval under the 1997 Constitution

As an issue affecting sovereingty and national security it would have, not the same as FTAs.

[Tony Clifton]

Noppadon can now officially keep working on keeping Coward the Great away from the courts.

Jakrapob is back to PTV already.

[hammered]

Noppadon can now officially keep working on keeping Coward the Great away from the courts.

Jakrapob is back to PTV already.

Thaksin's closest unbanned lieutenants are being felled rather quickly: Yongyuth, Noppadol, Chaiya and Jakrapob all rooted out pretty quick.

[Plus]

Yongyuth, Noppadol, Chaiya and Jakrapob all rooted out pretty quick.

I wouldn't call it quick, certainly not in Chaiya's case.

[slimdog]

Signing international agreements without passing through the parlament was an offense under 1997 constitution as well.

What Noppadon signed, would not have needed parliamentry approval under the 1997 Constitution

As an issue affecting sovereingty and national security it would have, not the same as FTAs.

Article 224 (Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 2550)

A treaty which provides for a change in the Thai

territories or the jurisdiction of the State or requires the

enactment of an Act for its implementation must be approved

by the National Assembly.

The agreement signed by Noppadon, did not in any way shape or form Change the Territorial or Jurisdiction of the state, and no Acts were needed for it's implimentation.

The reason that it was ruled un-constitutional was because it was judged to have extensive impacts on national

economic or social security. Something that was added into the new Article (190), but certainly didn't exist in the 1997 Constitution, or any other of the previous constitutions for that matter.

Edited for spelling..

Edited July 10, 2008 by slimdog

[Khun Jean]

I guess he accomplished what his master wanted. A passport and a deal with Cambodia. The rest is rather unimportant.

Can he be banned from politics when PPP is disolved or by resigning now did he avoid this problem.

And this new constitution is looking better all the time. Certainly a vast improvement

Edited July 10, 2008 by Khun Jean

[Meerkat]

The agreement signed by Noppadon, did not in any way shape or form Change the Territorial or Jurisdiction of the state, and no Acts were needed for it's implimentation.

The reason that it was ruled un-constitutional was because it was judged to have extensive impacts on national

economic or social security. Something that was added into the new Article (190), but certainly didn't exist in the 1997 Constitution, or any other of the previous constitutions for that matter.

The irony being of course that most of the social unrest was only whipped up after the agreement was signed, by the disinformation (or misinformation if one wishes to be charitable) of the PAD and the Dems. Noppadom's poor explanation of the agreement to the public also deserves criticism.

He deserves to go; as I said on another thread, if there is credible evidence that - as he stated in parliament - it was his senior bureaucrats in the MFA who advised him that no parliamentary approvement was necessary, then they should go too.

[A_Traveller]

^^^ That is not my understanding. The Court judgement was in two parts, firstly all the Judges found that the joint communique was equivalent to a treaty under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969. Secondly, 8 of the 9 adjudged the communique required parliament's approval before being signed under Article 190 of the charter.

On the basis of the first judgement then the joint communique would be subject to the previous constitution, since it implicitly affected the jurisdiction of the State [Article 224 of 1997]. Therefore the action itself, given the tortuous context, could, in my view be subject to constitutional challenge under the preceding constitution.

Regards

[animatic]

If as a lawyer himself, and the foreign minister

and with a team of government lawyers at his beck and call,

he did not take the time to UNDERSTAND the new constitution,

as it pertains to his job duties,

he has no one to blame but himself. Bye bye Popa dumb!

There were known specific constitutional places to look to verify

what can and can not be done within his perview.

Either; he didn't bother to look and check,

or he was under orders not to worry, just do it.

IF as it appears the whole cabinet OK'd this,

rubber stamped or discussed,

and NONE of them had ANY of their legal teams

check if it indeed was legal

then they ALL deserve the same fate....

At best it's group stupidity,

at worst it is incompetent deriliction of duty

to NOT understand the basic government document

in control of their jobs description,

REGARDLESS of WHO made it up.

It was voted on and is the real constitution of the land.

As the GOVERNMENT of the day it was their JOB to

KNOW and APPLY this document daily and legally.

DUH!!!

Edited July 10, 2008 by animatic

[slimdog]

^^^ That is not my understanding. The Court judgement was in two parts, firstly all the Judges found that the joint communique was equivalent to a treaty under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969. Secondly, 8 of the 9 adjudged the communique required parliament's approval before being signed under Article 190 of the charter.

On the basis of the first judgement then the joint communique would be subject to the previous constitution, since it implicitly affected the jurisdiction of the State [Article 224 of 1997]. Therefore the action itself, given the tortuous context, could, in my view be subject to constitutional challenge under the preceding constitution.

Regards

I would be most interested to read were Thailand lost any Jurisdiction.

[marshbags]

Go crawl back up Thaksin's butt, where you belong Noppadon

Now, Now jbow, no need for sarcasm

Apart from those in denial, we all know he never left it / him, just secretly carried on his masters devious self interests from an advanced position in the surrogate party/government.

That,s one son of a bitch out of the nest of dishonest opportunity, now for the next one, wonder who it will be

No doubt he will surface in his old role on an open basis in the near future.

Happy days of late for all seekers of justice, Thai and other nationalities

It,s a pity the Puea Pandin Party chairman Vatana Assavahame / Klong Dan Plunderer did a runner yesterday and failed to turn up to hear the verdict on the corruption case.

I reckon he knew the possible outcome before hand. ( Puyai style )

marshbags

Edited July 10, 2008 by marshbags

[hammered]

The agreement signed by Noppadon, did not in any way shape or form Change the Territorial or Jurisdiction of the state, and no Acts were needed for it's implimentation.

The reason that it was ruled un-constitutional was because it was judged to have extensive impacts on national

economic or social security. Something that was added into the new Article (190), but certainly didn't exist in the 1997 Constitution, or any other of the previous constitutions for that matter.

The irony being of course that most of the social unrest was only whipped up after the agreement was signed, by the disinformation (or misinformation if one wishes to be charitable) of the PAD and the Dems. Noppadom's poor explanation of the agreement to the public also deserves criticism.

He deserves to go; as I said on another thread, if there is credible evidence that - as he stated in parliament - it was his senior bureaucrats in the MFA who advised him that no parliamentary approvement was necessary, then they should go too.

I agree that it was opportunism by the governments opponents to whip up a nationalist furore over this issue. However, what does one expect in a democracy. If the roles were reversed the same would no doubt have happened. Nationalism is one of the strongest languages spoken in any democratic society and the nature of politics is such that no opposition is going to overlook a heaven sent opportunity to bash the the government on some such issue even if it means stretching the truth. It happens in countries with longer democratic traditions than Thailand.

The PPP should have seen this politcal banana skin coming. For about the first time since Thaksin first came to power his party (well I guess they still are) has given the opposition an in to talk the common language that the very people who vote for the government understand while being forced to muddle through with charts, maps, technical stuff and nice complicated explanations that nobody outside of the chattering classes is going to listen to for more than about five seconds. That is politcs.

The funny thing is the threat of impeachment is probably the thing that finished Noppadol off pretty dam_n quick. The PPP certainly aint going to want the Democrats to have yet another opportunity to make all kinds of statements about giving away Thai land (even if it isnt) and about being traitors or whatever while the government are left floundering with a very unpopularist defence of well it is actually Cambodias land. There is history there. Plus I seriously doubt with the mess where it is now that Mr. Thaksin will want anyone metioning during a live impeachment debate his little business deal at the same time as that piece of land.

Just politcs as normal but for once seeing the TRT/PPP out bubba'd by their opponents.