Yingluck Meets Cabinet, Tells Targeted Ministers To Ready For Censure

[Lite Beer]

Yingluck meets Cabinet, tells targeted ministers to ready for censure

Piyanart Srivalo,

Atthapoom Ongkulna

The Nation on Sunday

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday held a one-hour meeting behind closed doors with Cabinet members from the Pheu Thai Party to prepare for the no-confidence debate later this month.

She instructed the targeted ministers to prepare their data for the debate and she did not show signs of concern, Science Minister Woravat Auapinyakul, who was among the Cabinet members present, said.

Yingluck is among the four Cabinet members to be grilled in the censure motion in addition to her deputy Chalerm Yoobamrung, Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat and Deputy Interior Minister Chatt Kuldiloke. All ministers from the Pheu Thai Party, including party secretary-general Phumtham Wechayachai, attended the meeting at Ban Phitsanulok.

Chalerm yesterday told the meeting that he was well prepared for the opposition grilling and expected no problems in countering the allegations, according to a source.

Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said the Opposition has evidence to show corruption in the government and its failure to run the administration. He warned the government against using dirty tactics to block the Opposition from carrying out its work, for instance its attempt to strip Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva of his military rank and reclaim past salaries.

Chavanond said the government's move to discredit Abhisit was an attempt to see that the planned censure motion is scrapped by trying to rush the Defence Ministry's committee to strip Abhisit of his military rank and recover salaries he earned as a military lecturer.

He said Abhisit had not been notified about the appointment of a committee to investigate the allegation involving him, nor was he given any chance to defend himself.

He said the order to strip Abhisit's rank was hastily typed without being checked. Chavanond said Abhisit had nothing to do with the falsified documents the ministry panel claimed he used in applying for the post of military lecturer. He said the document was issued by a military agency.

Chavanond said the government's plan to sabotage the censure debate would not succeed because if the government seeks a Constitution Court ruling to disqualify Abhisit, the Opposition would seek an Administrative Court ruling for an injunction. According to law, the Constitution Court ruling disqualifying political office holders cannot have retroactive effect.

He dismissed as unreasonable the call for Abhisit to show political spirit by quitting. He said Abhisit had not committed any offence while in office so it is not right to compare Abhisit's military rank case with ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra's Ratchadaphisek land case.

Chavanond said the PM should not have other people answer questions on her behalf and Pheu Thai Party MPs should not try to come to her defence as happened in earlier House sessions.

He said the Opposition has decided not to grill Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul over his alleged violation of ministerial regulations by issuing a new passport to ex-PM Thaksin because the Opposition believe the PM should be held responsible because she is the highest authority in charge of the matter, but she has failed to act on the issue.

Meanwhile Pheu Thai deputy spokesman Jirayu Huangsap said the party is well-prepared for the censure motion. Although the Opposition is planning to attack the government over the rice-pledging scheme, opinion polls show that the scheme has contributed to increasing rice prices, he said. Pheu Thai MPs will not interrupt the debate without reason in order to protect the PM, adding the party has information about corruption in the Thai Khem Khaeng project during the Abhisit government, which will be revealed during the censure debate.

Jirayu also warned Rak Thailand Party leader Chuwit Kamolwisit, who has announced that he would spearhead the censure debate, saying Chuwit should look back at the history of the Democrat Party and beware that he would be "slaughtered" by the Democrats after they find him to be of no use.

House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranond said he does not mind if the censure motion is held on the weekend.

Meanwhile, Senate Speaker Nikom Waiyaratpanit said he was consulting with Abhisit to have Parliament vote on the censure motion on the morning of November 27 so that the Senate can start its general debate against the Yingluck government in the afternoon and continue until midnight of November 28.

-- The Nation 2012-11-11

[asiawatcher]

I would love to be a fly on the wall in these meetings and you can bet the 'debate' will be a bit of a circus.

[theblether]

Maybe if they want to censure the government they should fly to Dubai and speak to the real Prime Minister.

Just sayin'

and before you start.......I'm only going with what was said in Forbes magazine.

[Skywalker69]

I would love to be a fly on the wall in these meetings and you can bet the 'debate' will be a bit of a circus.

Yingluck: Boys you take care off that stupid hearing.

I have a important merit in a wat in Chiang Mai that can´t wait, by the way I will be taking the helicopter, you know the one without a night vision-radar.

Se you guys in a couple of days. Now you behave.....and dear Charlem no drinking in Parliament.....comprende?

[Tatsujin]

More fun and games . . . haven't they all got something better to do? Like maybe running a country for the benefit of it's citizens . . . ?

<wakes up> . . . it's Thailand, what am I thinking of! lol

[lizardtongue]

He said the order to strip Abhisit's rank was hastily typed without being checked. Chavanond said Abhisit had nothing to do with the falsified documents the ministry panel claimed he used in applying for the post of military lecturer. He said the document was issued by a military agency

And that my friends just about sums it up!

At best the present Gov. could be described as a circus?

[lizardtongue]

I would love to be a fly on the wall in these meetings and you can bet the 'debate' will be a bit of a circus.

The reason for that is because it is a circus!

[rubl]

Be ready, but don't worry too much. We have this cunning plan to disarm and render powerless the annoying opposition leader.

Just keep saying 'he's not really a legal MP'. With coordinated effort we're on track to eradicate the Democrats. While in the UK I heard they do it in a similar way

[Thai at Heart]

He said the order to strip Abhisit's rank was hastily typed without being checked. Chavanond said Abhisit had nothing to do with the falsified documents the ministry panel claimed he used in applying for the post of military lecturer. He said the document was issued by a military agency

And that my friends just about sums it up!

At best the present Gov. could be described as a circus?

The dems are really going to hang it on the army? Interesting.

To be honest abhisit should man up, but claiming that his issues are some diversion tactic is pathetic. Could you imagine a commander in chief dodging military service elsewhere in the world?

Yes it's a censure debate, bla, bla. Actually the bigger noose is awaiting abhisit, unfortunately.

[Tatsujin]

He said the order to strip Abhisit's rank was hastily typed without being checked. Chavanond said Abhisit had nothing to do with the falsified documents the ministry panel claimed he used in applying for the post of military lecturer. He said the document was issued by a military agency

And that my friends just about sums it up!

At best the present Gov. could be described as a circus?

The dems are really going to hang it on the army? Interesting.

To be honest abhisit should man up, but claiming that his issues are some diversion tactic is pathetic. Could you imagine a commander in chief dodging military service elsewhere in the world?

Yes it's a censure debate, bla, bla. Actually the bigger noose is awaiting abhisit, unfortunately.

I could be wrong, but I believe the current Commander in Chief, Obama, didn't serve in the military ...

[Thai at Heart]

He said the order to strip Abhisit's rank was hastily typed without being checked. Chavanond said Abhisit had nothing to do with the falsified documents the ministry panel claimed he used in applying for the post of military lecturer. He said the document was issued by a military agency

And that my friends just about sums it up!

At best the present Gov. could be described as a circus?

The dems are really going to hang it on the army? Interesting.

To be honest abhisit should man up, but claiming that his issues are some diversion tactic is pathetic. Could you imagine a commander in chief dodging military service elsewhere in the world?

Yes it's a censure debate, bla, bla. Actually the bigger noose is awaiting abhisit, unfortunately.

I could be wrong, but I believe the current Commander in Chief, Obama, didn't serve in the military ...

But he didn't dodge national service. If it was in place in the usa at the time and he dodged it, he would be absolutely unelectable.

There are standards that every country chooses, Thailand has national service. If you dodge it, and put your face up in a political position, don't cry when it comes back to haunt you. That's politics..........

[rubl]

The dems are really going to hang it on the army? Interesting.

To be honest abhisit should man up, but claiming that his issues are some diversion tactic is pathetic. Could you imagine a commander in chief dodging military service elsewhere in the world?

Yes it's a censure debate, bla, bla. Actually the bigger noose is awaiting abhisit, unfortunately.

I could be wrong, but I believe the current Commander in Chief, Obama, didn't serve in the military ...

But he didn't dodge national service. If it was in place in the usa at the time and he dodged it, he would be absolutely unelectable.

There are standards that every country chooses, Thailand has national service. If you dodge it, and put your face up in a political position, don't cry when it comes back to haunt you. That's politics..........

Totally off topic of course, but please refresh my memory regarding the military service record of my favorite American president, Bill Clinton ?

So, having a relatively cushy job while serving is considered as draft dodging? A chair-warmer who can't find his behind even with two hands? Tjeez, I'm still trying to get the last mud out of my ears after thirty years

[yoshiwara]

He said the order to strip Abhisit's rank was hastily typed without being checked. Chavanond said Abhisit had nothing to do with the falsified documents the ministry panel claimed he used in applying for the post of military lecturer. He said the document was issued by a military agency

And that my friends just about sums it up!

At best the present Gov. could be described as a circus?

The dems are really going to hang it on the army? Interesting.

To be honest abhisit should man up, but claiming that his issues are some diversion tactic is pathetic. Could you imagine a commander in chief dodging military service elsewhere in the world?

Yes it's a censure debate, bla, bla. Actually the bigger noose is awaiting abhisit, unfortunately.

You mean 'man up' like Thaksin re his convictions?

[Thai at Heart]

He said the order to strip Abhisit's rank was hastily typed without being checked. Chavanond said Abhisit had nothing to do with the falsified documents the ministry panel claimed he used in applying for the post of military lecturer. He said the document was issued by a military agency

And that my friends just about sums it up!

At best the present Gov. could be described as a circus?

The dems are really going to hang it on the army? Interesting.

To be honest abhisit should man up, but claiming that his issues are some diversion tactic is pathetic. Could you imagine a commander in chief dodging military service elsewhere in the world?

Yes it's a censure debate, bla, bla. Actually the bigger noose is awaiting abhisit, unfortunately.

You mean 'man up' like Thaksin re his convictions?

He will have his time, although, i doubt very much he will ever get back to Thailand until a day before he dies.