Thaksin Unlikely To Back Mingkwan

[Buchholz]

Suthep affirms early House dissolution

BANGKOK, 3 February 2011 (NNT) – Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Security Affairs Suthep Thaugsuban has voiced his readiness to supply clarification to any accusation in the censure motion to be filed by the opposition

Mr Suthep stated that he did not feel any pressure from the no-confidence debate, adding that it would not be different from previous ones whether or not Pheu Thai MPs Chairperson Police Captain Chalerm Yubumrung would join the debate.

Police Captain Chalerm usually took the lead in the censure debate to grill the government and often exchanged hot verbal attacks with the deputy prime minister. However, the Pheu Thai Party has resolved to let former Prime Minister Mingkwan Saengsuwan lead the debate team this time.

The deputy prime minister voiced his confidence that he would be able to explain everything if he was one to be grilled in the censure debate.

Mr Suthep reaffirmed that the government would dissolve the House before completing its term; however, he said the date could not be specified by now since everything would depend on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The deputy prime minister also stated that the passage of 2012 budget bill was not a pre-condition for House dissolution at all.

-- NNT 2011-02-03

[rubl]

Suthep affirms early House dissolution

...

The Nation

Actually the title doesn't really fit the newsflash. The text is mostly on the upcoming censure debate / motion. Also the 'early' seems to be at least 'a few months hence'

[Buchholz]

Chalerm insists to opt out of censure debate

Chalerm Yoobamrung, the Chairman of Pheu Thai Party MPs, insisted Wednesday that he will not join the censure debate against the government. He said he would leave it to Pheu Thai Party-list MP Mingkwan Saensuwan to handle the censure debate without his participation.

Mingkwan has received the blessing of former prime minister Thasksin Shinawatra to lead the censure debate.

On Tuesday, the Pheu Thai could not agree on the date for submitting the censure motion.

Mingkwan said he would have to wait for a green light from Thaksin before submitting the motion.

"I don't want to comment this," Chalerm said when asked to comment on Mingkwan's statement that he would have to wait for Thaksin's green light.

"But when I led censure debates, I had full power to make decisions."

Asked to comment on the possibility that the government may dissolve the House before Mingkwan could submit a censure motion, Chalerm said he did not want to interfere in Mingkwan's decision.

"I don't want to comment about it or else Mingkwan would scold me. But as I have experienced in leading censure debates, I found that it is not easy to draft a censure motion. It need some intelligence but I believe Mingkwan can do it," Chalerm said.

"He wants to be the Party Leader, so he needs to show his performance."

Chalerm was speaking to reporters before leading the debate against the mid-year budget bill.

-- The Nation 2011-02-16

[hammered]

Yesterday Mingkwan was dismal in the budget debate and boring. More funny though in a single comment Abhisit ripped Chalerm a new one. It was such a bad ambush that Chalerm fell into that you have to wonder if he did it deliberately as the content also led to the undermining and indirect ridiculing of everything Mingkwan had said.

[Ricardo]

What was that comment, by the Germans on the British troops in WW1, "Lions led by donkeys" ?

This really doesn't look like a party ready to fight & win an election, IMO.

[Buchholz]

Yesterday Mingkwan was dismal in the budget debate and boring. More funny though in a single comment Abhisit ripped Chalerm a new one. It was such a bad ambush that Chalerm fell into that you have to wonder if he did it deliberately as the content also led to the undermining and indirect ridiculing of everything Mingkwan had said.

This really doesn't look like a party ready to fight & win an election, IMO.

I wonder if Chalerm is still sticking to his earlier boasting...

Opposition Leader Confident His Party Will Win 300 Seats in Next Election

the Pheu Thai Party will certainly win at least 300 MP seats in the next election due to the fact that Thai citizens can no longer accept the double-standards practiced by the government.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Buchholz

[Buchholz]

Yesterday Mingkwan was dismal in the budget debate and boring.

reflected in the easy passage of the budget...

Bt100 bn mid-year budget bill approved in first reading

The mid-year budget bill to approve the government's spending worth Bt100 billion was approved in the first reading with 265 - 61 votes.

A total of 93 MPs abstained.

The House set up a 45-member panel to vet the bill in seven days.

The bill was approved following 14 hours of debate. The House meeting was closed at 11:55 pm after the bill's passage.

-- The Nation 2011-02-17

[phiphidon]

Yesterday Mingkwan was dismal in the budget debate and boring.

reflected in the easy passage of the budget...

Bt100 bn mid-year budget bill approved in first reading

The mid-year budget bill to approve the government's spending worth Bt100 billion was approved in the first reading with 265 - 61 votes.

A total of 93 MPs abstained.

The House set up a 45-member panel to vet the bill in seven days.

The bill was approved following 14 hours of debate. The House meeting was closed at 11:55 pm after the bill's passage.

-- The Nation 2011-02-17

Do you know the affiliations of the 61 No votes - I'm willing to guess that they wouldn't be from the BJP.

[animatic]

Yesterday Mingkwan was dismal in the budget debate and boring.

reflected in the easy passage of the budget...

Bt100 bn mid-year budget bill approved in first reading

The mid-year budget bill to approve the government's spending worth Bt100 billion was approved in the first reading with 265 - 61 votes.

A total of 93 MPs abstained.

The House set up a 45-member panel to vet the bill in seven days.

The bill was approved following 14 hours of debate. The House meeting was closed at 11:55 pm after the bill's passage.

-- The Nation 2011-02-17

Do you know the affiliations of the 61 No votes - I'm willing to guess that they wouldn't be from the BJP.

Never understood why PTP thinks that

'The People' want them to boycot all votes in protest.

As elected MP's, their job in opposition is to stand up like men and vote no, of that's what they want to vote. The avoidance of the votes is so totally against the concept of elected legislatures voting on laws and budgets, their actions prove they don't understand the concept. If they can't understand the concept, why should they be allowed to run a democratic country? Especially since they chronically avoid the very process they are elected to use.

Edited February 17, 2011 by animatic

[Robby nz]

Bt100 bn mid-year budget bill approved in first reading

The mid-year budget bill to approve the government's spending worth Bt100 billion was approved in the first reading with 265 - 61 votes.

A total of 93 MPs abstained.

The House set up a 45-member panel to vet the bill in seven days.

The bill was approved following 14 hours of debate. The House meeting was closed at 11:55 pm after the bill's passage.

Making the bold assumption that the 93 who abstained were PTP members does that mean they have lost another 7 since the last vote when 100 walked out?

If this is true then Thaksin will have to buy himself some new ones before they can even contest let alone win an election.

[Buchholz]

Puea Thai opposes nominating PM based on party list votes

BANGKOK, 17 February 2011 (NNT)-The Puea Thai Party said it is confident that the public will not accept the proposal by the Charter Amendment Committee to nominate a political party leader, who receives the highest votes from the party list,as the next Prime Minister.

Puea Thai list MP Jatuporn Prompan said in addition to the proposed voting method, he also disagreed with the absence of a censure debate in the Thai politics, citing it un-democratic and promoting corruptions among politicians.

He added that such method was not proposed on reasonable grounds and will only be in favor of the Democrat Party.

Mr. Jatuporn has called on the Charter Amendment Committee to revise its move.

-- NNT 2011-02-17

[Robby nz]

Puea Thai opposes nominating PM based on party list votes

BANGKOK, 17 February 2011 (NNT)-The Puea Thai Party said it is confident that the public will not accept the proposal by the Charter Amendment Committee to nominate a political party leader, who receives the highest votes from the party list,as the next Prime Minister.

Puea Thai list MP Jatuporn Prompan said in addition to the proposed voting method, he also disagreed with the absence of a censure debate in the Thai politics, citing it un-democratic and promoting corruptions among politicians.

He added that such method was not proposed on reasonable grounds and will only be in favor of the Democrat Party.

Mr. Jatuporn has called on the Charter Amendment Committee to revise its move.

-- NNT 2011-02-17

It would certainly be unacceptable to the PTP who only do things on Thaksins say so to actually have a free and binding vote on who they want to nominate as PM.

Having no censure debate would take away the only thing PTP seem to know how to do, even though they have no chance of winning.

Saying the proposed methods will only favour the Dems seems to be admitting they will win the next election, for indeed they may favour the party who is in power

[Siripon]

"At 44, I wonder why she's never been married... nor ever even been romantically linked to any man. Hmmmm..."

I believe she is now separated and has a son by her previous husband.

[Siripon]

Mingkwan's dismal perfomance in the budget debate must have dashed all hopes of him leading the censure debate. It's up to the hoarse ranter Chalerm and the wildly animated Sunai to provide any entertainment from Pheua Thai now.

[Buchholz]

"At 44, I wonder why she's never been married... nor ever even been romantically linked to any man. Hmmmm..."

I believe she is now separated and has a son by her previous husband.

Thank you; I had never heard of that about Yingluk.

Do you know her ex-husband's name or details about why he separated from the billionairess?

[Buchholz]

Mingkwan's dismal performance in the budget debate must have dashed all hopes of him leading the censure debate. It's up to the hoarse ranter Chalerm and the wildly animated Sunai to provide any entertainment from Pheua Thai now.

Mingkwan's dismal performance is what was expected and could signal the beginning of the set up...

Interesting article in the other paper which indicates that Thaksin is only reciprocating on Mingkwan by acknowledging Mingkwan's own financial contributions to the Pheu Thai Party.

It's also apparently a set up for failure as he has assigned Mingkwan to lead the censure debate and he has zero prior experience with that.

With this expected task failure, Thaksin will then shift his support to a new Party Leader, the one he has apparently wanted all along...

his younger sister, Yingluk Shinawatra;

who the sources said is expected to become Party Leader before the next general election.

[Buchholz]

Censure Leader Mingkwan has lined up his targets for the debate...

Four Cabinet members targeted for impeachment

The Pheu Thai Party has targeted the prime minister and three ministers for impeachment proceedings ahead of the upcoming censure debate on work performance.

The censure and impeachment targets are PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai and Information and Communication Technology Minister Chuti Krairiksh.

-- The Nation 2011-02-22

Edited February 22, 2011 by Buchholz

[whybother]

The other paper is reporting that the no-confidence motion is going to filed on March 2 with the debate expected a couple of weeks later.

[phiphidon]

Censure Leader Mingkwan has lined up his targets for the debate...

Four Cabinet members targeted for impeachment

The Pheu Thai Party has targeted the prime minister and three ministers for impeachment proceedings ahead of the upcoming censure debate on work performance.

The censure and impeachment targets are PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai and Information and Communication Technology Minister Chuti Krairiksh.

-- The Nation 2011-02-22

Regarding the personnel involved I wonder what the subjects raised will be?

[Buchholz]

The other paper is reporting that the no-confidence motion is going to filed on March 2 with the debate expected a couple of weeks later.

As required, when they file the motion, it'll be interesting who the Pheu Thai Party puts forth as their Prime Minister nomination.

.

[Buchholz]

Ah, I see now reading the other paper's article that Mingkwan himself is the Prime Minister nomination for the Pheu Thai Party.

[yoshiwara]

If Thaksin's sister is appointed leader you might think that this would upset the forum red cheerleaders who chant that the reds are not about Thaksin. But they won't bat an eyelid.

[Buchholz]

Censure debate to be held on March 9 -12

The coalition and opposition whips agreed Tuesday to have the censure debate against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and 9 other ministers held next week.

The two weeks agreed that the debate would be held on March 9, 10, 11 and 12. The vote of confidence will be held on March 13.

On March 12, the red-shirt movement plans a mass rally in Bangkok to mark the first anniversary of last year's beginning of the mass rally.

-- The Nation 2011-03-01

------------------------------------------

I believe the reporter meant 2 whips instead of 2 weeks in the 2nd sentence.

[Robby nz]

Censure debate to be held on March 9 -12

The coalition and opposition whips agreed Tuesday to have the censure debate against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and 9 other ministers held next week.

The two weeks agreed that the debate would be held on March 9, 10, 11 and 12. The vote of confidence will be held on March 13.

On March 12, the red-shirt movement plans a mass rally in Bangkok to mark the first anniversary of last year's beginning of the mass rally.

-- The Nation 2011-03-01

------------------------------------------

I believe the reporter meant 2 whips instead of 2 weeks in the 2nd sentence.

Could it have been wimps?

Loved the pic of Mingkwan.

Would you buy a used car from this man?

[Buchholz]

PM, 9 ministers ready for censure debate

BANGKOK, 2 March 2011 (NNT) – Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and all nine other cabinet members targeted in the no-confidence debate are ready to answer the opposition’s queries.

According to Deputy Government Spokesperson Watchara Kannikar, the prime minister asked all the targeted ministers during the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday about their preparedness for the censure debate next week and received a positive response.

Apart from the prime minister, other Democrat ministers targeted are Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, Information and Communication Technology Minister Chuti Krairiksh and Prime Minister’s Office Minister Ongart Klampaiboon.

The rest are cabinet ministers from the coalition Bhumjaithai Party, including Transport Minister Sopon Zarum, Commerce Minister Pornthiva Nakasai, Deputy Agriculture and Cooperative Minister Supachai Phosu and Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul.

All the ministers are reportedly positive that they will be able to clarify accusations made by the opposition in the censure debate and the impeachment recently submitted by the opposition with the senate against eight cabinet members.

In addition, Mr Abhisit has entrusted Prime Minister’s Office Minister Satit Wonghnongtaey to coordinate with House Speaker Chai Chidchob in order to study the details of the impeachment petition filed by the opposition.

-- NNT 2011-03-02

[Buchholz]

Censure debate to start on Wednesday

Government and opposition whips have agreed the forthcoming censure debate will take place over four days starting on Wednesday.

House Speaker Chai Chidchob has until tomorrow to add the debate to Parliament's official schedule.

"The opposition will get 40 hours to scrutinise the PM and nine ministers," said government whip Warong Dechgitvigrom. "The ministers will get 20 hours to clarify." He said the government would conclude the debate from 7 to 9 pm on the final day, with the opposition having until 11 pm to make its own concluding statements. Voting is scheduled for the following Sunday.

Nevertheless, Warong said, the government and opposition whips could not agree on the use of video clips during the debate. The government wants a joint committee to verify the clips before they are played in the chamber. The opposition disagrees. The matter is currently for Chai to consider.

The opposition originally suggested the debate start on Monday to keep the process to weekdays. But the government said it would be ready for the debate on Wednesday, Warong said. The government whip said the process to submit the motion for the censure debate had not been completed as the opposition's documents were not ready. The process should be completed today.

-- The Nation 2011-03-03

[Buchholz]

More PTP in-fighting after Mingkwan insisted on at least 4 days of censure debate while Chalerm says...

Pheu Thai deems 4 days rather long for censure debate

BANGKOK, 3 March 2011 (NNT)-Pheu Thai MP Chairman Police Captain Chalerm Yoobamrung said the no confidence debate should be carried out no longer than 4 days citing that it could jeopardize the chance for victory over the government.

Police Captain Chalerm said he was not confident if there would be enough evidences to support the Pheu Thai Party in the debate against the Democrat Party which was expected to last 4 days. He has also clarified to the media that Pheu Thai Party List MP Mingkwan Sangsuwan, who also leads the next censure debate, only asked for his participation and not for his review on the agenda of the debate as widely understood.

The Chairman said he would go over the agenda from next Wednesday to Saturday and only join in the debate if there were any arguments other than what his Party had prepared.

He also feared the government could gain the upper hand if the debate went on for too long. He reasoned that his Party might not have enough evidence to prove the Democrat wrong.

However, Police Captain Chalerm expressed disagreement among Pheu Thai Party members for picking Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Suthep Tuegsuban as one of targeted individuals for corruption in the upcoming debate, saying that it would be difficult to attack Mr. Suthep as a very experienced politician.

He also warned his Party members not to underestimate the Democrat Party.

-- NNT 2011-03-03

[animatic]

Thaksin has gladly backed Mingkwan, all the way.

Right into a corner he can't ever hope to escape from.

If he fails then it's easier to bring his faction of MPs to heel

around Thaksin's real choices for 'leadership'.

[Buchholz]

Thaksin has gladly backed Mingkwan, all the way.

Right into a corner he can't ever hope to escape from.

If he fails then it's easier to bring his faction of MPs to heel

around Thaksin's real choices for 'leadership'.

There was an article in the other paper a while back that reported that was Thaksin's plan from the beginning.

Anoint Mingkwan with his blessings to be the Censure Leader and PTP nominated PM to appease that faction in the PTP, knowing full way that he would likely fail at the task and thus opening the door to the one he really wanted personally to become Party Leader and be the PTP nominated for PM... his sister, Yingluck.

There's no shortage of other Thaksinites in the updated post on the recent PTP list of its candidates all lining up to cement his position within the Party:

[Buchholz]

Chalerm: Not enough info for 4-day debate

Pheu Thai MP Chalerm Yoobamrung Thursday conceded the upcoming censure might lack the substance to justify a four-day debate, voicing concern about the opposition being upstaged by the coalition.

"I believe the coalition will be at advantage from the lengthy censure because the public attention will wane," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-03-03