Thai Govt Aims To Curb Checks On Its Power: Democrats

[webfact]

Govt aims to curb checks on its power: Democrats

By THE NATION

The Democrat Party has voiced suspicion that the government is moving to curb the political system of checks and balances by limiting the mandate of the judiciary and independent organisations to counterbalance the executive's power.

The Cabinet might have a hidden agenda in forming the Commission on the Rule of Law headed by Professor Ukrit Mongkolnavin, Democrat deputy spokesman Sakoltee Phattiyakol said yesterday.

"Ukrit's integrity as a legal scholar is not in question, but the government's [possible] ulterior motive is being questioned," he said.

He said his main opposition party suspected the Ukrit commission might be a pretext for the government to amend the charter in order to rein in the courts and independent organisations set up by organic laws.

The commission's mandate ensuring the rule of law and ending double standards seems reasonable, but there remains a concern that the government might exploit the commission to meddle with checks and balances, he said.

He also reminded the government that the downfall of the Thaksin Shinawatra administration happened because it tried to dominate the independent organisations.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra denied an allegation the commission was set up for the benefit of one person, her brother Thaksin.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said the commission would reform all unfair laws but would not rein in the courts.

-- The Nation 2011-09-15

[Ricardo]

the commission would reform all unfair laws

Which begs the question, who gets to decide which laws are unfair, and unfair to whom, this is surely the job of Parliament itself ?

[Buchholz]

the government is moving to curb the political system of checks and balances by limiting the mandate of the judiciary and independent organisations to counterbalance the executive's power.

Flashback to 2001.

[scorecard]

the government is moving to curb the political system of checks and balances by limiting the mandate of the judiciary and independent organisations to counterbalance the executive's power.

Flashback to 2001.

Good point Buchholz

[scorecard]

the commission would reform all unfair laws

Which begs the question, who gets to decide which laws are unfair, and unfair to whom, this is surely the job of Parliament itself ?

Agree, there should be debate in parliament for all to hear. Plus, there should be, case by case, organized public debate, and even referendum.

Doesn't look good.

And again proxy PM Chalerm at the front.

Edited September 15, 2011 by scorecard

[animatic]

the government is moving to curb the political system of checks and balances by limiting the mandate of the judiciary and independent organisations to counterbalance the executive's power.

Flashback to 2001.

Not flashback, it's a no-return, prepaid ticket, to the past.

And then a different routing for the train.

When dreams of total control are stifled, the stifled attempt to alter reality to their liking. When face is involved it can be come obsessive.

[siampolee]

The roll-back is starting for Thailand. Brother No.1 is using his clone to impose his dictatorial will on the country.

[rubl]

the commission would reform all unfair laws

Which begs the question, who gets to decide which laws are unfair, and unfair to whom, this is surely the job of Parliament itself ?

terribly sorry and all that, old chap, but this is a stupid question.

'we, the people' have voted in Pheu Thai solely on the slogan 'Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai acts'. This absolves all of us from having to think about these issues. someone promised to do the thinking for us

[moe666]

Still dening has she nothing else to do.

[plumeria]

Maybe the red shirts will surprise us and produce a thinker and a visionary with some interesting suggestions for solving the country's problems.

The red shirt manifesto is not that radical. It's basically a call for greater social justice and greater distribution of prosperity.

It would be so great to see someone emerge with a vision whatever the shirt color.

If Thais do not get control of their government back into the hands of the people soon, it will reach the point of no return like in the USA.

No way the American people will ever be able to seize power back from the corporations and Thailand is heading in the same direction.

[Buchholz]

Maybe the red shirts will surprise us and produce a thinker and a visionary with some interesting suggestions for solving the country's problems.

They need to invite Red Shirt Jeff back to the country

[daiwill60]

And unforunately, until someone comes up with a better system of Gov't, that is how it works in a Democracy , until the next gov't that makes the next most convincing set of promises ( kept or unkept) are elected by a population desperate to believe that they will live up to those promises when they grasp that position of power.

the commission would reform all unfair laws

Which begs the question, who gets to decide which laws are unfair, and unfair to whom, this is surely the job of Parliament itself ?

terribly sorry and all that, old chap, but this is a stupid question.

'we, the people' have voted in Pheu Thai solely on the slogan 'Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai acts'. This absolves all of us from having to think about these issues. someone promised to do the thinking for us

[JurgenG]

The government hasn't yet done anything but it is already guilty.

Of what ?

Who cares, guilty is the only thing that matters.

But it's not like if the previous government had ever tried to influence the police and the judiciary. Of course not, this could never had happent. Or could it ?

Charges against red shirts were 'inflated'

By The Nation

Police, public prosecutors claim they were forced to file terrorism charges

Police investigators and public prosecutors claim they were pressured by policy-makers to file terrorism charges against red-shirt demonstrators last year despite a lack of solid evidence

Somchai Hom-laor, chairman of the TRC's fact-finding subcommittee, said many charges had been inflated and 53 red shirts now faced accusations of arson and terrorism, carrying a maximum penalty of death.

He said police investigators and public prosecutors admitted to being pressured by the Abhisit Vejjajiva government's policy-makers to inflate the charges and they had ended up filing "indiscriminate" charges against red-shirt demonstrators.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/08/12/national/Charges-against-red-shirts-were-inflated-30162608.html

Despite what the yellow apologists want us to believe, before the election we were quietly moving toward a North Korea democracy model. Like it or not, facts are facts.

[rubl]

The government hasn't yet done anything but it is already guilty.

Of what ?

Who cares, guilty is the only thing that matters.

But it's not like if the previous government had ever tried to influence the police and the judiciary. Of course not, this could never had happent. Or could it ?

Charges against red shirts were 'inflated'

By The Nation

Police, public prosecutors claim they were forced to file terrorism charges

Police investigators and public prosecutors claim they were pressured by policy-makers to file terrorism charges against red-shirt demonstrators last year despite a lack of solid evidence

Somchai Hom-laor, chairman of the TRC's fact-finding subcommittee, said many charges had been inflated and 53 red shirts now faced accusations of arson and terrorism, carrying a maximum penalty of death.

He said police investigators and public prosecutors admitted to being pressured by the Abhisit Vejjajiva government's policy-makers to inflate the charges and they had ended up filing "indiscriminate" charges against red-shirt demonstrators.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/08/12/national/Charges-against-red-shirts-were-inflated-30162608.html

Despite what the yellow apologists want us to believe, before the election we were quietly moving toward a North Korea democracy model. Like it or not, facts are facts.

1. The government is only guilty of doing nothing for the people, but concentrating on k. Thaksin. Sorry, real fact, confirmed and denied by government spokespeople, PM Yingluck, Dept. PM Chalerm, etc., etc.

2. I don't doubt that in the heat of the fight some charges may have been inflated. I mean just burning down a town hall on request of your UDD leader and now some even UDD MPs, is hardly an act of terrorism, now is it? Mind you once a case would come to court I'm sure that evidence would clearly show if a charge was exaggerated or not. If so prosecutors would be admonished by the court.

3. Despite what red-shirt apologist try to tell us, I'm still waiting for UDD leaders to apologise for or even admit to some deaths and grenade attacks being their fault. Probably took their cue from dear Leader Thaksin.

4. With this phony Thaksin-clone led government and red-shirt advisors to check and balance we're really moving of the scale and even Kim Il-sung has complained that Thai shenanigans have started to make him look a moderate.

Having said all that, can we now cut down on the rhetoric

[Dap]

the government is moving to curb the political system of checks and balances by limiting the mandate of the judiciary and independent organisations to counterbalance the executive's power.

Flashback to 2001.

When the government stacked ALL the checks and balances committees with there "in house" comrades. Thus effecting zero "checks and balances". Deja vu, nest pas

Edited September 15, 2011 by Dap

[Dap]

the commission would reform all unfair laws

Which begs the question, who gets to decide which laws are unfair, and unfair to whom, this is surely the job of Parliament itself ?

Agree, there should be debate in parliament for all to hear. Plus, there should be, case by case, organized public debate, and even referendum.

Doesn't look good.

And again proxy PM Chalerm at the front.

As far as thugs can go