Abhisit Urges End To House Session

[webfact]

Abhisit urges end to House session

The Nation

Deputy Senate speaker calls on MPs to defy court, continue charter deliberation

BANGKOK: -- Opposition Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday urged the Cabinet to call an end to the current parliamentary session in order to ease the ongoing political confrontation and enable all parties to seek some form of solution.

Democrat Party MP Thepthai Senapong, meanwhile, said there were five factors that could lead to clashes between the red and yellow shirts and urged Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra not to keep herself above political issues any longer.

Abhisit, who is the Democrat Party leader, said he was concerned that the legislature's failure to respect a court order could result in more chaos and impeachment of certain parliamentarians. "I think ending the parliamentary session is the best solution. The government claims that they must continue the session in order to read the anti-money laundering bill, which I agree is an urgent issue. But, without a clear decision by the government on whether to postpone this problematic issue, people will still be worried that there will be interference with the House deliberation of the reconciliation bills," he said.

The opposition leader also said the recent claim by Thaksin Shinawatra that democracy was being "robbed" reflected the fact that the fugitive former premier only wanted his confiscated money back, and so he needed to lie in order to achieve his ends.

"Thaksin does things for himself and uses others as his hostages. We can achieve reconciliation if we do not whitewash the wrongs of those who cheat or those who intentionally commit crimes that are not related to politics," said Abhisit. "We all can talk, but all the past conflicts were due to the government rushing things."

Thepthai said the factors that would lead to a possible red-yellow confrontation included mass mobilisation by red-shirt leaders for the movement's followers to come out onto the streets by claiming a coup plot was being hatched, when in fact there were no signs of possible power seizure by the military.

Second is what he described as an attempt to discredit the Constitution Court by groups including the Nitirat group of Thammasat University law lecturers.

Third, he said there were signs that the Constitution Court order to defer parliamentary consideration of charter amendment would be ignored, with the third and final parliamentary reading of the constitutional amendment bill going ahead as planned.

The fourth factor is street protests by both the yellow shirts and the multicoloured-shirt movement, while the last is the reassignment of police handling the protests, he said.

Thepthai also urged Yingluck to take steps to prevent any possible outbreak of violence.

Meanwhile, Deputy Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanit yesterday voiced his support for the idea that Parliament should go ahead with its final reading of the constitutional amendment bill.

He said he backed the idea that the Constitution Court had no power to suspend the parliamentary process of amending the charter.

Nikom said he would discuss with his Senate colleagues a proposal by coalition whips that there should be a joint meeting of the two Houses to discuss what to do in response to the court's decision to accept for judicial review the petitions by opponents to the charter changes.

He also voiced his support for the decision by House Speaker Somsak Kiartsuranond to postpone the House of Representatives meeting to deliberate four reconciliation bills.

Ruling Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said yesterday that the party would call a meeting of its MPs today to discuss how to vote in the final reading of the constitutional amendment bill.

He said meeting participants would also discuss last week's decision by the Constitution Court to accept for judicial review the petitions for the court to rule on whether the charter amendment bills were constitutional.

In response to opposition to the government-backed reconciliation bills to give amnesty to those involved in the political conflict, Prompong said the party's MPs had been advised to explain to their constituents that not only Thaksin but also the entire country would benefit.

In a related development, the spokesman for the Constitution Court, Pimol Thammapitakpong, yesterday insisted that the court had the constitutional power to accept the matter of charter amendment for judicial review.

He cited Article 68 of the charter, which empowers people to petition directly with the court.

A source from the court said that if the House Speaker ignored the court's order for the House deliberation to be suspended, his political party could risk dissolution for resisting a court order.

-- The Nation 2012-06-05

[pakorn7]

Thaksin does things for himself and uses others as his hostages. We can achieve reconciliation if we do not whitewash the wrongs of Thaksin and his family. Yingluck included.

[OzMick]

"Prompong said the party's MPs had been advised to explain to their constituents that not only Thaksin but also the entire country would benefit."

That is going to be one really hard sales pitch. It's very easy to see Thaksin benefiting 46 billion ways, but how do you convince Joe Public that he will be SO MUCH better off with an ephemeral concept of reconciliation and WITHOUT B46 billion in his bank account.

"Peace in our time" while every man and his dog is up in arms.

[Crushdepth]

Thaksin does things for himself and uses others as his hostages. We can achieve reconciliation if we do not whitewash the wrongs of Thaksin and his family. Yingluck included.

So true. Between that and 'divide and rule' he's done a right job on Thailand.

[Yunla]

urged Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra not to keep herself above political issues any longer.

Very well put.

[Moruya]

"Prompong said the party's MPs had been advised to explain to their constituents that not only Thaksin but also the entire country would benefit."

That is going to be one really hard sales pitch. It's very easy to see Thaksin benefiting 46 billion ways, but how do you convince Joe Public that he will be SO MUCH better off with an ephemeral concept of reconciliation and WITHOUT B46 billion in his bank account.

"Peace in our time" while every man and his dog is up in arms.

Indeed.

How in the name if sweet Jesus will anyone who hasn't committed a crime benefit? The average som tum cart will in fact lose money in one form or another

Sent from my dog.

[Thaddeus]

Ruling Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said yesterday that the party would call a meeting of its MPs today to discuss how to vote in the final reading of the constitutional amendment bill.

Is that discuss or be told.

[Arkady]

"Prompong said the party's MPs had been advised to explain to their constituents that not only Thaksin but also the entire country would benefit."

That is going to be one really hard sales pitch. It's very easy to see Thaksin benefiting 46 billion ways, but how do you convince Joe Public that he will be SO MUCH better off with an ephemeral concept of reconciliation and WITHOUT B46 billion in his bank account.

"Peace in our time" while every man and his dog is up in arms.

Just cancel the reconciliation and distribute Thaksin's 46 billion to all Thais over the age of 20. That means they should get about 1,000 baht each.

[Arkady]

"Third, he said there were signs that the Constitution Court order to defer parliamentary consideration of charter amendment would be ignored, with the third and final parliamentary reading of the constitutional amendment bill going ahead as planned."

The Constitutional Court has issued the equivalent of an injunction to Parliament to cease and desist from deliberating the so called reconciliation bill until they can rule on the complaints that it is unconstitutional. Pheua Thai has decided on its own authority that Parliament is above the jurisdiction of the court. Even though the complaints are flimsy and likely to be dismissed, it sounds odd to flout the authority of the court. I suppose that since they plan to abolish the Constitutional Court they feel they can give them the finger and do whatever they feel like.

[webfact]

Opposition whips want House recess

The Nation

Photo : Vorawit Pumpuang

BANGKOK: -- The opposition whips on Tuesday circulated a statement calling for the government to issue a decree for House adjournment, citing time needed to cool off the fracas over the reconciliation bill.

Democrat MP Pirapan Salirathavibhaga lodged the statement at Government House on the whips' behalf.

"The political crisis has intensified due to the conflict over the reconciliation which is actually about granting amnesty," Pirapan said.

He reminded the government that unless the House was adjourned, the situation could spiral out of control which may lead to unforeseen consequences.

If possible, the Cabinet should seek the royal endorsement on the draft decree for House adjournment by today, he said.

In the statement, the whips said it became evident that the rush to debate the amnesty in connection with the political strife had ended up inflaming the social divisions.

The bill also triggered unprecedented animosity in the House. Should the government decide to push for the passage of the bill at this juncture, this might trigger the political violence. Therefore the House recess should take effect immediately in order to guarantee the postponement of the debate on amnesty.

PM's deputy secretary general Prasit Chaiviratana said the government urged the opposing sides to resolve their differences through talks.

The House recess will take time to take effect because of the backlog of legislative agendas, such as the deliberations on international agreements as per Article 190 of the Constitution, he said.

-- The Nation 2012-06-05

[theajarn]

Why is it, I can't find anything to complain about the way words come out of Abhisit's mouth? Either he's the true essence of a politician (lies VERY convincingly) or he's just really a class about the rest of the clods that call themselves 'politicians'.

Is it just me or does everyone else think Abhisit speaks convincingly, coherently and without the typical self-indoctrinated clout?

[ratcatcher]

Why is it, I can't find anything to complain about the way words come out of Abhisit's mouth? Either he's the true essence of a politician (lies VERY convincingly) or he's just really a class about the rest of the clods that call themselves 'politicians'.

Is it just me or does everyone else think Abhisit speaks convincingly, coherently and without the typical self-indoctrinated clout?

You are not alone.

[HAL9000]

Right. They stir up the mobs and then say they cannot operate a democratic government because of the mobs.

[MunterHunter]

Right. They stir up the mobs and then say they cannot operate a democratic government because of the mobs.

That is because angry mob's are the only things the reds truly understand... now the shoe is on the other foot, they are trying to quash the protests before they can take hold... Double standards, much?

[chuang]

I think Abhisit making himself the prime minister is the best solution...

[MunterHunter]

I think Abhisit making himself the prime minister is the best solution...

.. as opposed to Thaksin doing the same thing... ?

[webfact]

Democrats petition PM; seek closure of House session

BANGKOK, June 5 - Thailand's opposition Democrat Party lawmakers petitioned Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Tuesday, calling on her Cabinet to issue a draft royal decree closing the current House session to defuse political standoff.

Democrat MPs Peerapan Saleerattawipak, Sansern Samalapa and Chuenchob Kongudom submitted a letter to the premier via the PM's Deputy Secretary-General Prasit Chaiviratana, reasoning that closing the Parliament was the only solution to the current political crisis stemming from controversy over the reconciliation bill deliberations in the lower house.

Mr Peerapan said that he has been assigned by the opposition chief whip to submit the complaint letter to the premier as the ongoing turmoil was likely to continue as a result of the consideration of proposed reconciliation bills.

If the House session continues, the Democrat MP said, it will be the beginning of a conflict which will be later intensify and escalate.

Mr Peerapan added the only solution to the problem is to close the House session to ease political tension.

The opposition whip also urged the MPs who earlier proposed reconciliation drafts to withdraw their drafts from house consideration.

The premier's deputy secretary-general said he would urgently forward the issue to the prime minister but said there were still some issues needing to be deliberated in the House, including the international cooperation framework under Article 190 of the Constitution requiring parliamentary approval prior to signing any international treaties and agreements.

Parliament will be closed eventually, he said, but there is also a working process before that.

The prime minister also worried over the differing views on the matter, according to Mr Prasit.

The Democrat move came as the government chief whip on Monday asked the House Speaker to call a joint parliamentary sitting on Friday to discuss Section 190 of the Constitution so that senators and members of the lower House may together decide whether or not the Constitution Court has authority to order the House to suspend deliberations on the charter amendment bill.

House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont earlier decided to cancel June 5-7 parliamentary sessions following last week’s chaos in the chamber.

Today the House had been scheduled to vote on the third reading of the draft constitution amendment and consider the international cooperation frameworks under Article 190, but the vote could not proceed after the Constitution Court decided to consider the legality of the draft.

The House Speaker earlier cancelled the reconciliation bills debate last Friday as yellow shirt activists of the people's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) blocked lawmakers access to Parliament but was set to reconvene the House of Representatives Wednesday and Thursday (June 6-7) to consider the bills. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-06-05

[bigbamboo]

Could we not just give it it's real name.... the anti-reconciliation bill.

[pakorn7]

I think Abhisit making himself the prime minister is the best solution...

.. as opposed to Thaksin doing the same thing... ?

I think Sondhi make a better PM.

[gand]

Why is it, I can't find anything to complain about the way words come out of Abhisit's mouth? Either he's the true essence of a politician (lies VERY convincingly) or he's just really a class about the rest of the clods that call themselves 'politicians'.

Is it just me or does everyone else think Abhisit speaks convincingly, coherently and without the typical self-indoctrinated clout?

You are not alone.

Is Abhisit the closest thing Thailand has to an Aung San Suu Kyi?

[pakorn7]

Why is it, I can't find anything to complain about the way words come out of Abhisit's mouth? Either he's the true essence of a politician (lies VERY convincingly) or he's just really a class about the rest of the clods that call themselves 'politicians'.

Is it just me or does everyone else think Abhisit speaks convincingly, coherently and without the typical self-indoctrinated clout?

You are not alone.

Is Abhisit the closest thing Thailand has to an Aung San Suu Kyi?

I thought it is Yingluck.

[gand]

Why is it, I can't find anything to complain about the way words come out of Abhisit's mouth? Either he's the true essence of a politician (lies VERY convincingly) or he's just really a class about the rest of the clods that call themselves 'politicians'.

Is it just me or does everyone else think Abhisit speaks convincingly, coherently and without the typical self-indoctrinated clout?

You are not alone.

Is Abhisit the closest thing Thailand has to an Aung San Suu Kyi?

I thought it is Yingluck.

She would be at the extreme other end of the spectrum to Aung San Suu Kyi.

[Moruya]

Why is it, I can't find anything to complain about the way words come out of Abhisit's mouth? Either he's the true essence of a politician (lies VERY convincingly) or he's just really a class about the rest of the clods that call themselves 'politicians'.

Is it just me or does everyone else think Abhisit speaks convincingly, coherently and without the typical self-indoctrinated clout?

You are not alone.

Is Abhisit the closest thing Thailand has to an Aung San Suu Kyi?

I thought it is Yingluck.

Other than anatomy, can you list 1 similarity in political accomplishments?

Sent from my dog.

[maidu]

If Thai politicians were tasked with getting a truck and picking up garbage in one town, here's how they'd do it:

>>>> They'd argue about the type of truck

>>>> They would have a 2 month session on what type of tires to put on the truck

>>>> They would then argue about the color of the truck, and whether it should have manual or auto transmission

>>>> Then a local mafia boss would make a phone call insisting that he owned all the garbage depots in town, and that he would need 500 baht per depot, from whichever truck made pick-ups in his territory.

>>>> Then the politicians would argue about whether to pay the mafia don what he asked for, or whether to pay him five times as much, because he was related to the truck driver.

>>>> They wind up invoicing for expenses, 10 times more than actual expenses, and then allocating the 90% profit to themselves.

>>>>> then, before they do any garbage collection, they'd get the municipal coffers to cough up a billion baht, so they can all go on paid-vacations to the Alps, under the guise of researching garbage collecting techniques of more civilized countries. Of course, free 1st class transit on Thai Airways is required for them and families. Don't forget the golf clubs!

Meanwhile, small mountains of garbage would be piling up all over town.

Edited June 5, 2012 by maidu

[waza]

I concur, Abhisit is the consummate politician of the people, unlike the Democrat party, who are a party for the wealthy. But they are far better than the PTP who are a party for the consummate corrupt criminals.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

So why doesn't Abhisit champion the cause of the poor, I'm sure he could do so much more convincingly (if not actually genuinely) than the Thaksins.

Take away their power base in legitimate democratic campaigning and take power over the next few years?

[smutcakes]

So why doesn't Abhisit champion the cause of the poor, I'm sure he could do so much more convincingly (if not actually genuinely) than the Thaksins.

Take away their power base in legitimate democratic campaigning and take power over the next few years?

Because the Democrats lack any empathy, compassion and could not give a toss about the less fortunate. As far as they are concerned they are only useful as domestic slaves and drivers and are entirely inconsequential to their pampered lives in Bangkok.

The PTP are so bad its embarrassing, yet the Democrats even now cannot come up with some decent PR/marketing/policies to make decent inroads into the PTP polls advantage. The Democrats are just dinosaurs who cannot adapt, which is why they always need alternative means than a democratic vote to actually come into power.

[ThaiOats]

So why doesn't Abhisit champion the cause of the poor, I'm sure he could do so much more convincingly (if not actually genuinely) than the Thaksins.

Take away their power base in legitimate democratic campaigning and take power over the next few years?

What would you have him do within the 2 years of disrupted governance? He had to work with the corrupted politicians, had to try to keep his act clean, worked during the Financial Crisis and implemented gradual changes instead of populist policies.

I believe someone posted in another thread, a video of an Austrialian University's presenters pointing out the fact that the North and North East (red supported) were mostly agricultural and labor workers. The rate at which northern people were moving from labor some work (hardship) to other types of work (less hardship) were slow relative to people from the other parts of the country. Furthermore, Thaksin's reign was during the time of economic recovery so everything felt... normal to which Thaksin takes this opportunity to take credit for good governance. On the other hand, Abhisit worked during the Financial Crisis so already there were forces working against him. The feeling of increased hardship in the north and north-east added to the idea that Abhisit didn't do anything for them, but the whole country was feeling the impact. Which leads me to the first presenter's argument that the internet will lead to the inevitability of Thai people being more informed through curiosity.

Of course the internet is a double edged sword. It can be used for propaganda and cause further rifts in society depending on how the people utilize their critical thinking skills.

[Sunderland]

Abhisit is the closest that Thailand has to someone who even looks half like a Prime Minister. Unfortunately, he is backed by a shabby political party who are the champions of nothing much in particular, except for possibly helping themselves and their connections. Peua Thai are no better, and in fact worse as they don't have a person who is truly capable of leading the country and solving problems effectively for the good of the people.

If Abhisit and Chuwit could form an independent partnership, like 'Starsky & Hutch', 'Tom & Jerry', 'Ant & Dec' or 'Batman & Robin', then I would have greater confidence in this country being turned upside down overnight, and waking up tomorrow in a corruption free hardworking state where real law could be applied and upheld. Just fantasy ...

There are no politicians in Thailand, just crooks, thieves, gangsters and thugs.

[Moruya]

Abhisit is the closest that Thailand has to someone who even looks half like a Prime Minister. Unfortunately, he is backed by a shabby political party who are the champions of nothing much in particular, except for possibly helping themselves and their connections. Peua Thai are no better, and in fact worse as they don't have a person who is truly capable of leading the country and solving problems effectively for the good of the people.

If Abhisit and Chuwit could form an independent partnership, like 'Starsky & Hutch', 'Tom & Jerry', 'Ant & Dec' or 'Batman & Robin', then I would have greater confidence in this country being turned upside down overnight, and waking up tomorrow in a corruption free hardworking state where real law could be applied and upheld. Just fantasy ...

There are no politicians in Thailand, just crooks, thieves, gangsters and thugs.

Strange. But well worthy of consideration.

I think most of us would take Dastardly and Muttley over this crew

Sent from my dog.