Thai Parliament Chaos Over Reconciliation Debate

[webfact]

Thai parliament chaos over reconciliation debate

BANGKOK, Jun 1, 2012 (AFP) - The Thai parliament was thrown into chaos for a second day Thursday, as lawmakers clashed over plans to push through a reconciliation debate that threatens to widen the country's bitter divides.

Proposals, ostensibly aimed at healing the rifts that have seen Thailand shaken repeatedly by bloody civil unrest since a coup in 2006, have provoked fury among opposition MPs who fear they will open the door for the return of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Police were forced to step in for a second day running, surrounding the house speaker in an effort to protect him as MPs threw bundles of paper at him after he announced that the debate would go ahead early Friday.

The incident, widely broadcast on Thai television, overshadowed an address by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra -- Thaksin's sister -- to the prestigious World Economic Forum on East Asia that is being held in Bangkok.

The fracas within parliament has been accompanied by a show of strength on the streets outside from thousands of ultra-royalist, anti-Thaksin "Yellow Shirts" and their affiliates, whose protests have helped topple three governments.

The Yellows have warned they will try to enter parliament in an effort to disrupt a possible vote, although it is not clear whether they will carry out the threat.

"Please be patient and trust us, when our time comes when the D-day comes, we will not lose," said Panthep Puapongpan, spokesman for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the Yellow's official name.

The PAD are powerful players in Thailand's colour-coded politics, backed by the Bangkok-based elite and arch-rivals of Thaksin's "Red Shirts", whose massive rallies against a previous government in 2010 ended in a bloody crackdown.

The four reconciliation proposals that are up for debate have threatened to further polarise politics in the country, that has become increasingly divided in the years since Thaksin was toppled by royalist generals.

Three of the potential bills -- among them one by former coup general Sonthi Boonyaratgalin -- include amnesties that some fear could be used to usher back the divisive former premier, who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption and terrorism charges relating to the 2010 violence.

The Yellows are historically close to the opposition Democrat party, which came to power after 2008 rallies by the movement that culminated with the seizure of two Bangkok airports, stranding more than 300,000 travellers and causing crippling economic damage.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-06-01

[webfact]

Video of the chaos at the end of Parliament

[media=]

[/media]

/via @bkkbase

[webfact]

CONTROVERSIAL BILL

House votes for debate of reconciliation bills

THE NATION

Photo : Prasert Thepsri

BANGKOK: -- The House of Representatives yesterday voted for immediate debate of the four controversial reconciliation bills despite fierce protests by opposition Democrat MPs against the "dictatorial" House speaker.

The House faced a second day of commotion after Wednesday saw the worst chaos in Parliament's history.

Late in the morning, the chairmen of 35 House committees met to discuss whether the reconciliation bills were financially related legislation. The Democrat Party claimed that by expunging the legal impacts of the post-coup court verdicts, the Bt46 billion confiscated from former premier Thaksin Shinawatra would likely be returned to him, so the bills should be considered as "financially related".

Endorsement by the Cabinet or prime minister is required for any bill deemed financially related.

After almost five hours of heated arguments, the meeting decided by a vote of 22-1 that the four bills were not financially related. Most of the chairmen were from the ruling Pheu Thai Party. The only dissenter was Democrat MP Shane Thaugsuban, while the other Democrat MPs who were panel chairmen walked out of the meeting in protest.

During the meeting, the proponents of the four bills told the participants that their proposed laws were not financially related. One of them was General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, leader of the 2006 coup and now chair of the House committee on national reconciliation.

After the panel chairmen's vote, the House meeting resumed at around 4.30pm. Pheu Thai MP Cholnan Srikaew moved to bring the four reconciliation bills up to the top of the agenda for immediate deliberation.

The bills were tabled separately by Sonthi and three groups of Pheu Thai MPs, including many linked to the red-shirt movement.

House Speaker Somsak Kiartsuranond convened the meeting by informing the participants about the decision by the committee chairmen. He rejected a request by Democrat MP Thana Chirawinit for further discussion on whether the bills were financially related, drawing protests from many Democrats. The speaker argued that the committee chairmen had made the decision after their lengthy meeting.

The situation became more tense when Democrat MP Watchara Phetthong asked the Speaker to have Parliament police disarmed.

Somsak called for a show of hands on whether to move up the reconciliation bills for immediate deliberation even as Democrat MPs shouted in protest. Many police began gathering behind the Speaker when opposition MPs confronted him, screaming "dictator, dictator".

The House voted 272-2 for immediate deliberation, showing that most Democrat MPs in attendance did not vote.

Somsak, interrupted from time to time by bursts of protest, scheduled the debate on the bills for 9.30am today and adjourned the meeting at 5pm.

Angry Democrat MPs gathering nearby began heaving sheets of paper and copies of House meeting regulations and the Constitution at Somsak, who was guarded by police and was later led out of the chamber.

Democrat MP Thana Chirawinit said afterwards that the House Speaker did not act fairly and properly when chairing the meeting. He told the pro-Democrat Blue Sky satellite television station that the reconciliation laws would set a bad precedent that wealthy people with enough support in Parliament could issue a new law to whitewash their crimes.

Pheu Thai MP Sa-nguan Pongmanee said the Democrats appeared to be trying every delaying tactic to avoid deliberating on the bills.

Leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy resolved to continue their protest against the reconciliation bills, which began on Wednesday, PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan said. He advised protesters to bring towels in addition to umbrellas and raincoats.

-- The Nation 2012-06-01

[webfact]

Yingluck calls on MPs to maintain peace during debates

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday insisted she viewed reconciliation as a legislative issue, distancing herself from the fracas between Democrat and Pheu Thai MPs.

"I just want to ask for the cooperation of all MPs to abide by the rules, because the House is a venerated institution," she said in reference to the unruly incidents on Wednesday and yesterday inside the House chamber.

Yingluck said all sides should debate the bill in accordance with legislative procedure instead of assuming the outcome before vetting the draft provisions.

Reconciliation could be compared to charter amendment - no one should predict the outcome before relevant parties had the chance to debate and thrash out their differences, she said.

She conceded she had not studied the details of the reconciliation provisions, saying she was in no position to judge whether the bill was a fiscal issue. The 35 House committees appointed were in charge of ruling on the issue, she said.

She said she would abide by the decision of the committees. If the bill had been deemed to have fiscal impacts, the draft would have had to be vetted by the government ahead of parliamentary deliberation.

After the prime minister's interview, the 35 committees decided by a majority of 22 that the bill was non-fiscal, giving the green light for its deliberation.

The prime minister said differences over the reconciliation process should be thrashed out by peaceful means because the country had already suffered political strife.

She voiced optimism that the political divisions could be resolved through democratic means.

She said foreign investors would understand the political situation and that there would be no adverse impacts on the investment climate if all sides exercised restraint and did not resort to violence.

She also said she was unaware that certain draft provisions might result in legislative infringement on the judiciary, saying she believed there was no intent to usurp judicial power.

-- The Nation 2012-06-01

[renaissanc]

If I was the Department Head in a company and I replied like YS did, I would deserve to be fired. Sorry, but she is such a poor leader and should not lead a company, let alone a country.

[ratcatcher]

"She (Yingluck) conceded she had not studied the details of the reconciliation provisions, saying she was in no position to judge whether the bill was a fiscal issue"

The Nation.

Maybe Thailand should invite the Lady from next door to try and run this country. Any PRIME Minister who makes such a statement deserves all the scorn she will receive. G**dammit, it's her job. She should at least be aware of some detail surely?.

Stepph's cartoon from The Nation just about sums up the comparison between these two females.

Edited June 1, 2012 by ratcatcher

[siampolee]

"I just want to ask for the cooperation of all MPs to abide by the rules, because the House is a venerated institution," she said in reference to the unruly incidents on Wednesday and yesterday inside the House chamber.

I may be wrong but I am sure there is a spelling or a typographical error in the above passage.

Under this current maladministration the house has become a venereal institution Madam Prime Minister due to your puppet master and his shafting of the Parliamentary process.

[rubl]

After the prime minister's interview, the 35 committees decided by a majority of 22 that the bill was non-fiscal, giving the green light for its deliberation.

I've seen an earlier report which said only 23 committees voted on this issue, the other abstained or refused to vote. In other words, those controlled by the Pheu Thai party were in favour. Starts to look like the USA with no real surprise in GOP or Dem's voting.

Soon we'll see various commissions and maybe courts who they view this issue.

BTW I really like the way our PM moves from

She conceded she had not studied the details of the reconciliation provisions

to

saying she believed there was no intent to usurp judicial power.

[farang000999]

Come on, this is fun.

[avalonmick]

Come on, this is fun.

Business as usual it seems with two polarised groups throwing cream pies at each other; always gets a laugh, especially from other countries who can't believe the puerility of it.

Only gets serious when someone brings out the boys with the guns ...

[farang000999]

no, it gets even more fun when renegade generals start fighting to the death.

[bigbamboo]

Come on, this is fun.

The best thing about Thai politics is that you don't need the sound effects machine to tell you when to laugh.

It's more fun than the days of Thatcher and Reagan.

Edited June 1, 2012 by bigbamboo

[Skywalker69]

Calling this circus a reconciliation debate is a joke of the century​ millennium.

[Reasonableman]

A bit like carpet bombing your way towards reconciliation.

[gand]

We have ways of making you reconcile.