Pheu Thai To Discuss Charter Changes

[Lite Beer]

Pheu Thai to discuss charter changes

The Nation on Sunday

National drafting assembly to be proposed; bills to be tabled when Parliament reconvenes

Key members of the ruling Pheu Thai Party will hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss a plan to amend the 2007 Constitution.

Pheu Thai MPs are waiting for Parliament to reconvene so they can deliberate new legislation as well as bills to amend the charter, party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said.

Party-list MP Weng Tojirakarn said earlier that a national assembly would be set up to amend the charter, followed by a referendum on whether voters preferred the current Constitution or the 1997 charter.

The current charter was promulgated in 2007 following the 2006 coup d'etat, which overthrew the Thaksin Shinawatra government.

Pheu Thai, backed by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, has indicated that it prefers the 1997 charter to the current one.

Prompong said the current Constitution, which has been used for the past decade, has many weaknesses and needs to be amended.

In addition, he said, the Pheu Thai Party campaigned on a promise to seek charter amendment during the last election, so there is no grounds for the opposition Democrat Party to try to block the move.

Pheu Thai will also propose setting up Sor Sor Lor 3 - the third national assembly of charter drafters - with members drawn from all 77 provinces, Prompong said.

The first and second national charter-drafting assemblies drew up the 1997 and 2007 constitutions.

The new assembly will comprise academics, representatives of the private sector and civil society organisations, among others.

The charter-amendment effort will be launched after the New Year, the spokesman said.

Critics have warned the government against using the charter-amendment plan to help Thaksin, who fled the country to avoid a two-year jail term for an abuse-of-power conviction.

Prompong denied there was a hidden agenda in the amendment plan.

"We want to do this for everyone, regardless of their political colours," he said.

Critics and opponents of the Yingluck Shinawatra government say the plan is another attempt to help Thaksin by nullifying crucial articles in the current charter that were added following the 2006 coup.

The government will likely face strong opposition from the Democrat Party and anti-Thaksin civil society organisations, according to political sources.

-- The Nation 2011-12-18

[Maestro]

This article in yesterday's issue of The Nation said this:

However, despite the government's apparent enthusiasm, constitutional amendments to undo all these barriers to Thaksin's return to Thailand will be a Herculean and time-consuming task. There will be several hurdles to cross, including a national referendum on politically explosive issues concerning the integrity of the country's judicial system.

I wonder what text was added in the 1997 constitution that would prevent Thaksin from returning to Thailand. I cannot find anything designed to have that effect.

Constitution 1997.pdf

Constitution 2007.pdf

Why don't the newspapers writing about this planned amendment of the constitution tell us? Is it perhaps this addition to Section 3?

The performance of duties of the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the Courts, the Constitutional organisations and State agencies shall be in accordance with the rule of laws.

[scorecard]

This article in yesterday's issue of The Nation said this:

However, despite the government's apparent enthusiasm, constitutional amendments to undo all these barriers to Thaksin's return to Thailand will be a Herculean and time-consuming task. There will be several hurdles to cross, including a national referendum on politically explosive issues concerning the integrity of the country's judicial system.

I wonder what text was added in the 1997 constitution that would prevent Thaksin from returning to Thailand. I cannot find anything designed to have that effect.

Constitution 1997.pdf

Constitution 2007.pdf

Why don't the newspapers writing about this planned amendment of the constitution tell us? Is it perhaps this addition to Section 3?

The performance of duties of the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the Courts, the Constitutional organisations and State agencies shall be in accordance with the rule of laws.

And from weng:"In addition, he said, the Pheu Thai Party campaigned on a promise to seek charter amendment during the last election, so there is no grounds for the opposition Democrat Party to try to block the move."

The dems, as the opposition, have every right in fact have a duty to block anything they think should be blocked, discussed etc.,

[Moruya]

Weng could inflate a Zeppelin in minutes with all his hot air.

[Buchholz]

Prompong said the current Constitution, which has been used for the past decade, has many weaknesses and needs to be amended.

Can this actor cum spokesman ever just say WHAT SPECIFICALLY they want to amend. This charlatan in particular is always going on and on about changing the constitution... but never seems to say, WHAT SPECIFICALLY they want to change.

A whole article on amendments and not 1 mention of what is to be amended.

.

[whybother]

I wonder what changes they can make that will make Thaksin's charges disappear.

[bigbamboo]

There's a (United) Kingdom just off the north west coast of Europe that doesn't have a constitution and doesn't have coups.......

Edited December 18, 2011 by bigbamboo