Pheu Thai Faces Hard Decision On Unity Bill

[webfact]

Pheu Thai faces hard decision on unity bill

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Party will meet today to discuss whether to put controversial draft at the top of parliamentary agenda

A reconciliation bill submitted by the man who led the 2006 coup against Thaksin Shinawatra is set to heat up politics this week.

The bill, seen as designed to help former prime minister Thaksin, is item No 27 on the agenda for the weekly House meeting on Wednesday.

If the House wants to debate the bill, which was sponsored by Matubhum Party leader General Sonthi Boonya-ratglin in his capacity as the chairman of the special House committee on reconciliation, it would have to vote to move the draft to the top of the House agenda.

This would require votes from Pheu Thai MPs, who command the majority in the House.

Pheu Thai has been trying to keep a distance from the bill, as it apparently fears it would be attacked of moving to "whitewash" Thaksin.

Political observers said Pheu Thai cancelled its earlier plan to sponsor the bill and left it to Sonthi and other MPs to sponsor the draft so that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra would not be attacked for seeking to help her brother with Pheu Thai's House majority.

The possibility that the bill will be debated by the House on Wednesday has spurred the People's Alliance for Democracy - Thaksin's bitter foes - to plan a protest against the draft on the same day.

Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said the party would meet today to consider its stand toward the bill following reports it would be moved up the agenda for deliberation on Wednesday and Thursday.

Prompong said the meeting would prepare Pheu Thai MPs in the event the bill is moved up the agenda.

He said he personally thought the bill should be left to the House to consider without intervention by the government. Pheu Thai would give priority to national and public interests, he said, when considering its stand toward the bill.

The bill would not seek to help Thaksin as alleged by the Democrat Party, he claimed.

If the Democrats adhered to parliamentary rules, as claimed by Democrat chief adviser Chuan Leekpai, Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva should cancel his plan to seek a Constitution Court ruling against the bill, he said. Abhisit should instead use the House debate to explain to people why the Democrats oppose the bill.

Prompong said reports that Pheu Thai MPs were divided over the bill were not true.

The spokesman also called on the PAD to postpone its rally and hear the debate on the bill in the House before planning a demonstration.

Chief coalition whip Udomdej Ratanasathien said whips would meet tomorrow to discuss the bill's principle and make a decision on the coalition's stand. Udomdej said it was normal that Pheu Thai MPs might not agree on a bill, but they would eventually have to comply with the party's stand once it was decided.

Udomdej also called on the PAD to wait and see the results of the House debate and resolutions before holding its rally.

Democrat MP Thepthai Senpong said he regarded the bill sponsored by Sonthi as a test of the political waters to gauge the strength of the bill's opponents.

Thepthai said the bill was sponsored mostly by coalition MPs, who are not Pheu Thai members, because Thaksin reportedly told ruling party MPs not to sponsor the bill to avoid creating the perception that the party was seeking to help the former PM.

Thepthai called on the prime minister to express a clear-cut stand on the bill because her Pheu Thai commands the majority of seats in the House.

Meanwhile, Suriyasai Katasila, a Green Politics co-ordinator, alleged Sonthi was about to stage another coup through the bill and this time he would do it for Thaksin.

Suriyasai said the new coup would be worse than the 2006 one in which Sonthi toppled the Thaksin government because this time the coup via Parliament would go as far as overruling the justice system. He said the bill would seek to help politicians have more power than the judiciary, which would affect the entire political system.

Suriyasai called on Chart Thai Pattana chief adviser Sanan Kachorn-prasart and Chart Thai Pattana de facto leader Banharn Silapa-archa to get their parties to withhold support for the bill so that they won't held responsible for a possible civil war following the bill's passage.

Chaturon Chaisaeng, a former caretaker Pheu Thai leader, declined to comment on the reconciliation bill yesterday, saying he knew nothing about it.

He said the bill would have nothing to do with the 111 former Thai Rak Thai executives because they would emerge from their five-year political ban on Thursday.

-- The Nation 2012-05-28

[Moruya]

Sneakery and subterfuge

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Thaivisa Connect App

[Buchholz]

Chief coalition whip Udomdej Ratanasathien said whips would meet tomorrow to discuss the bill's principle and make a decision on the coalition's stand. Udomdej said it was normal that Pheu Thai MPs might not agree on a bill, but they would eventually have to comply with the party's stand once it was decided.

That's because there's no room for independent thought in the Pheu Thai Party.

Those that choose to think for themselves get banned from it.

Thaksin Banned Two Pheu Thai MPs

http://www.thaivisa....ty-source-says/

Thepthai said the bill was sponsored mostly by coalition MPs, who are not Pheu Thai members, because Thaksin reportedly told ruling party MPs not to sponsor the bill to avoid creating the perception that the party was seeking to help the former PM.

because, yeah gosh... no one would think to perceive a whitewash of Thaksin's crimes as having anything to do with the Pheu Thai Party.

Does that change simply because one of the lackey parties sponsor it? Not in the least.

.

Edited May 28, 2012 by Buchholz

[OzMick]

Better get this one an express rush through before the constitution court decided to disband PTP.

Taksin and his cronies just don't learn. The last bill they passed which, by purest co-incidence, saved Taksin billions in tax caused outrage in Thailand which led to the coup.

Trying to dodge the self-interest issue simply won't work.

[Yunla]

....so that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra would not be attacked for seeking to help her brother with Pheu Thai's House majority

She is frightfully keen to put distance between herself and her convicted, fleeing grand-larcenist brother, while at the same time she only got elected because of her family name. Would she have got elected based on her non-history of political work or her non-history of other work for that matter.

I think for probity's sake she should declare officially if she intends to have her cake and eat it. What a quandary for a girl to be in. No wonder she is confused.

[ramrod711]

Thepthai said the bill was sponsored mostly by coalition MPs, who are not Pheu Thai members, because Thaksin reportedly told ruling party MPs not to sponsor the bill to avoid creating the perception that the party was seeking to help the former PM.

"the perception"?....should read the fact

[Moruya]

Sorry Percy.

As I lay asleep in Non'buri

There came a voice from over the Sea,

And with great power it forth led me

To witness Red Democracy.

I met Murder on the way -

He had a mask from old Chiang Mai -

Very smooth he looked, yet grim;

Seven blood-hounds followed him:

All were fat; and well they might

Be in admirable plight,

For one by one, and two by two,

He tossed the human hearts to chew

Which from his wide cloak he drew.

Next came Fraud, and she had on,

Like Jatuporn, a scarlet gown;

Her big tears, for she wept well,

Turned to mill-stones as they fell.

And the little children, who

Round her feet played to and fro,

Thinking every tear a gem,

Had their brains knocked out by them.

[TomTao]

This could be an interesting week, no-one from Pheu Thai sponsored the bill for fear of being accused of introducing the bill to help the man who has his hand on the helm, so the general who led the coup sponsors the bill, why? Was he promised a position when he who was ousted by the coup returns? Was he promised a financial boon in return for paving the way for the ousted one to return? When the debate and vote happens will the bill receive over whelming support, or will the some of the disappointed reds vote with the opposition? What of the coalition parties, will they vote for, against or abstain.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

[Buchholz]

This could be an interesting week, no-one from Pheu Thai sponsored the bill for fear of being accused of introducing the bill to help the man who has his hand on the helm, so the general who led the coup sponsors the bill, why? Was he promised a position when he who was ousted by the coup returns? Was he promised a financial boon in return for paving the way for the ousted one to return?

Yes, he's been given oversight of the Defense Ministry budget.

There's a number of inconsistencies with Sonthi. For one, he's the only MP of his Party in Parliament (he's literally a one man Party) and yet he's been put in charge of the reconciliation committee and supervisor of the defense budget.

The other paper today has a good article on the situation.

,

Edited May 28, 2012 by Buchholz

[ratcatcher]

Sorry Percy.

As I lay asleep in Non'buri

There came a voice from over the Sea,

And with great power it forth led me

To witness Red Democracy.

I met Murder on the way -

He had a mask from old Chiang Mai -

Very smooth he looked, yet grim;

Seven blood-hounds followed him:

All were fat; and well they might

Be in admirable plight,

For one by one, and two by two,

He tossed the human hearts to chew

Which from his wide cloak he drew.

Next came Fraud, and she had on,

Like Jatuporn, a scarlet gown;

Her big tears, for she wept well,

Turned to mill-stones as they fell.

And the little children, who

Round her feet played to and fro,

Thinking every tear a gem,

Had their brains knocked out by them.

Nice work indeed!

Shakespeare would have had a field day with these characters, perhaps too many for Shelley to deal with.

Thaksin (wearing the mask of anarchy), Sonthi, Sondhi, Jatuporn, Nattawut, Weng, Kwanchai, Newin, Chamlong, the list goes on.......oh not to forget the Fair Lady Yingluck and her family court of Yaowapa, Somchai & Little Miss Chinchilla, Chaisit and Payup, The cast-off Lady Potjaman and brother Damapong.

It's a real shame Thailand forbids comedy along the lines of That Was The Week That Was, S.N.L., Monty Python or Yes, Prime minister..

Edited May 28, 2012 by ratcatcher

[waza]

Hmmm seem the thaksin whitewash bill is a hot potato, too hot for the PT party. If the oposition to the bill is strenuous enough they might put it in the too hard basket and carry on without him, after all he is a liability.

[Sharp]

Sorry Percy.

As I lay asleep in Non'buri

There came a voice from over the Sea,

And with great power it forth led me

To witness Red Democracy.

I met Murder on the way -

He had a mask from old Chiang Mai -

Very smooth he looked, yet grim;

Seven blood-hounds followed him:

All were fat; and well they might

Be in admirable plight,

For one by one, and two by two,

He tossed the human hearts to chew

Which from his wide cloak he drew.

Next came Fraud, and she had on,

Like Jatuporn, a scarlet gown;

Her big tears, for she wept well,

Turned to mill-stones as they fell.

And the little children, who

Round her feet played to and fro,

Thinking every tear a gem,

Had their brains knocked out by them.

Nice work indeed!

Shakespeare would have had a field day with these characters, perhaps too many for Shelley to deal with.

Thaksin (wearing the mask of anarchy), Sonthi, Sondhi, Jatuporn, Nattawut, Weng, Kwanchai, Newin, Chamlong, the list goes on.......oh not to forget the Fair Lady Yingluck and her family court of Yaowapa, Somchai & Little Miss Chinchilla, Chaisit and Payup, The cast-off Lady Potjaman and brother Damapong.

It's a real shame Thailand forbids comedy along the lines of That Was The Week That Was, S.N.L., Monty Python or Yes, Prime minister..

Nice !!!!!!

[bigbamboo]

This whole process has all the integrity of a Thai Rolex.

[Ricardo]

It's a real shame Thailand forbids comedy along the lines of That Was The Week That Was, S.N.L., Monty Python or Yes, Prime minister..

Perhaps a new series might be named "Yes, former Prime-Minister" ?

[hellodolly]

What a dilemma. The PT must decide between one of two choices.

1 reconciliation

or

2 White wash there leader.

Makes no difference what the other parties want they have the power to do it with out the other parties.

My thoughts are they will do it the same way they do every thing else White Wash the leader.