Thai opposition MPs in parliament brawl with police

[hellodolly]

Television images showed politicians surrounded by police and grappling with them as they were marched towards the exit of the chamber, while screams were heard in the background

Nipit, who said there were some 100 police in parliament at the time

Ah democracy and free speech in action, why 100 police in parliament chamber at the time.....Yingluks stormtrooper in action

Why do I have a sad feeling Thailand headed towards another round of violence in the streets

I am not sure you are right.

I have just spoken to a couple of "hard core" democrats and they admit it's all over. They say this government already has complete control over the police and military and that all demonstrations will be stopped at the start as we have already seen.

The only thing to do is wait/. "Wait 20 or more years until the country has been raped and destroyed" - their own words..

I hope they are wrong but I certainly don't want to see violence and bloodshed again. I think we are in ffor some dark times one way or another.

Unfortunately I have to agree the PTP is in control now. But I don't think they are going to have the power they enjoy now after the next election.

Hard to believe it but there are some red shirts who no longer worship at the feet of Thaksin. How many elections have they lost in previous red shirt strong districts, Look at the red dummy shirts in Yaiothon trying to disrupt the Democrat rally. There were some there who refused to partake in the disruption.

I definatly do not want to see more blood shed. But some times it can lead to changes. Not saying they are good or bad but look at the changes that were made by just crucifying one guy.

[Reasoner]

Wait a minute.... The article specifically explains that the speaker intended to continue or begin debate on the matters but only if the opposition would sit down and follow the rules standard for human debate. That means sitting down an waiting your turn to voice your opinion, not standing up and yelling or booing. It sounds to me like they were the ones who wanted to obstruct the debate. If it was so important to them and their cause was just then why yell out and stand around and obstruct. they should have sat down when the speaker said to, then when he stopped the debate after they followed the rules of parliamentary debate, everyone would have seen the corruption you all speak of. You people should pay attention to the facts of the article.

Good luck.

[15Peter20]

Wait a minute.... The article specifically explains that the speaker intended to continue or begin debate on the matters but only if the opposition would sit down and follow the rules standard for human debate. That means sitting down an waiting your turn to voice your opinion, not standing up and yelling or booing. It sounds to me like they were the ones who wanted to obstruct the debate. If it was so important to them and their cause was just then why yell out and stand around and obstruct. they should have sat down when the speaker said to, then when he stopped the debate after they followed the rules of parliamentary debate, everyone would have seen the corruption you all speak of. You people should pay attention to the facts of the article.

Good luck.

Oh don't go spoiling their fun, now. Preaching doom and gloom is fun and makes one feel important for a few seconds. Please bear this in mind before next trying to apply reason to a debate in the TV news section. Thank you.

[johnnie20110]

Wait a minute.... The article specifically explains that the speaker intended to continue or begin debate on the matters but only if the opposition would sit down and follow the rules standard for human debate. That means sitting down an waiting your turn to voice your opinion, not standing up and yelling or booing. It sounds to me like they were the ones who wanted to obstruct the debate. If it was so important to them and their cause was just then why yell out and stand around and obstruct. they should have sat down when the speaker said to, then when he stopped the debate after they followed the rules of parliamentary debate, everyone would have seen the corruption you all speak of. You people should pay attention to the facts of the article.

Good luck.

If you have another article with the events as you described, please share a link, because there is nothing in the article that corresponds with your "facts".

[PoodMaiDai]

Any bottles or machetes used? If not, I'm very disappointed.

[beammeup]

I will be planing an exit strategy to a more democratic country perhaps Cambodia or Burma. After 17 years here I am getting worried. If they do in fact control the Army then this country is doomed.

[daboyz1]

It's ironic that the police will step in and do something when there's an issue in parliament, yet when a group of armed thugs holds the capitol hostage for 2 months, they wont lift a finger. Maybe the MPs should take the lead from the red shirts and take parliament over and occupy it for a couple months. After all, that's how you get your way politically in Thailand.

[noitom]

"Thailand's parliament briefly descended into chaos.a circus................"

All three rings and lots of side shows.

[noitom]

They'll be fighting about who started it. Who said what to whom.

[webfact]

POLITICS
Scuffles, boos bring chaos to charter change joint meeting
Kornchanok Raksaseri,
Khanittha Thepphajorn
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT Somsak Kiatsuranont, whose nickname is "Gavel Master", lived up to his name and used his gavel vigorously for the first time yesterday during the House-Senate joint meeting deliberating constitutional amendments. However, his gavel failed to bring order to the chamber.

Instead, they were followed by boos and MPs standing in protest. Somsak ordered the Parliament police to remove any lawmakers who refused to sit down. Several officers surrounded his chair for security.

"Anyone failing to move [the standing parliamentarians] out must face a probe," he warned the officers. This was followed by pushing, shoving and tugging between Democrat MPs and Parliament police.

MP Kulladej Puapattanakul pushed the police and put his hand on an officer's neck. Other officers scrambled to lock his arms while MP Thani Thueksuban tried to help him. A female MP screamed.

Somsak called a 10-minute break, which lasted more than half an hour.

Before the chaos, the lawmakers were to deliberate on a charter amendment related to the election, qualification and authority of senators.

Pheu Thai MP Samart Kaew-meechai, chairman of the vetting committee, told the meeting that 202 parliamentarians had registered to speak at the plenary. Two had withdrawn while some had submitted their motions after the deadline. Meanwhile, 57 motions were deemed by his committee as against the principle of the bill approved in the first reading. He asked the meeting to consider whether the sponsors of the motions should be allowed to deliberate in the plenary.

The Democrats claimed that all had the right to speak.

Democrat MP Nipit Intarasombat said he calculated the days differently from the committee, referring to the controversial closing of the meeting in the first reading.

To cut short the debate, which did not go anywhere in the morning, Somsak, who had taken the chairmanship in the afternoon, said he would allow only two representatives from the government and opposition MPs and senators to speak before voting. Following protests from the floor, he called for voting. The meeting voted 339:15 against the 57 speaking.

Democrat MP Attaporn Ponlaboot held a placard that said "Slave Parliament" in front of Somsak's seat.

Opposition whip chief Jurin Laksanawisit said the House speaker might have violated the law as he had scheduled a second reading before the first reading was completed.

Jurin was referring to the meeting on the night of April 3 (early morning April 4) which lacked a quorum. It had agreed on a period for submitting motions of deliberation and the speaker assumed the motions must be submitted within 15 days.

Somsak called another House-Senate joint meeting on April 18 to complete the procedure, and the parliamentarians voted for the 15-day deadline schedule.

Jurin said MPs who lost the opportunity to speak had the right to petition the Constitutional Court. They included Democrat chief adviser Chuan Leekpai, Nipit and Jurin.

In the morning, Democrats and some senators opposed Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanij from chairing the meeting, saying he might have a conflict of interest.


-- The Nation 2013-08-21

[MaiChai]

PT are changing alot of laws and these are causing alot of problems. These changed laws are not being reported but problems are starting to build up in the legal system and It's affecting ordinary people.

[LomSak27]

The Nation leads with "opposition Mp's" and not democrats

must have been ugly if The Nation, the dems de facto media outlet, sugar coats it

[theblether]

A taste of things to come.

[jointedNose]

PT are changing alot of laws and these are causing alot of problems. These changed laws are not being reported but problems are starting to build up in the legal system and It's affecting ordinary people.

so what do you suggest they do instead of making laws? play 5 in a line?

[MaxLee]

Childish sulky "Political Elite Children in Thailand" are all the same, THEY STINK AND DEMONSTRATE BAD MANNERS

[Ricardo]

Wait a minute.... The article specifically explains that the speaker intended to continue or begin debate on the matters but only if the opposition would sit down and follow the rules standard for human debate. That means sitting down an waiting your turn to voice your opinion, not standing up and yelling or booing. It sounds to me like they were the ones who wanted to obstruct the debate. If it was so important to them and their cause was just then why yell out and stand around and obstruct. they should have sat down when the speaker said to, then when he stopped the debate after they followed the rules of parliamentary debate, everyone would have seen the corruption you all speak of. You people should pay attention to the facts of the article.

Good luck.

Welcome to ThaiVisa !

One other fact was that the Speaker only intended to allow two of the opposition to speak, out of the crowd who had wanted to, and put their names down.

Would you agree that this was a deliberate attempt, by the supposedly-neutral but-PTP-party-member Speaker, to stifle the debate in a very-unparliamentary way, and that actually the Democrat-MPs were (at least to some extent) merely standing-up for the 'rules of parliamentary debate' which we (probably) all support ?

[gemini81]

Not as bad as the old soviet parliament meetings in brutality; but worse in terms of one-sided communism.

At least the Russians didn't have 100 police in there on MP's. These communists tactics will cripple the country yet. Bending laws & rules even more than when The Coward was actually here in person changing laws. Shameful oligarchy.

Edited August 21, 2013 by gemini81

[Tatsujin]

Any bottles or machetes used? If not, I'm very disappointed.

No bottles or machetes on this occasion, just the usual 5 against 1 when fighting Thai-style.

[WAERTH]

I hope that this will finally be the wake up call to the Thai people to awake from there usual apathy and mai pen rai attitude.

I am afraid it will not though

[wilcopops]

What on earth are police doing in parliament????

[Docno]

Interesting. The article states: "opposition MPs were angry at being denied time to speak about the proposals, which would change the senate to a fully elected body. The plans are part of a contentious bid to amend a constitution written in the wake of a 2006 military coup...". A photo of the event shows an opposition MP with his hand around the throat of a police officer. Yet people here are branding the PTP as undemocratic and dangerous. I can easily imagine what these same people would be saying if it were a PTP or Red-Shirt with his hands around the police officer's throat...

[Nickymaster]

What on earth are police doing in parliament????

Helping the Reds in creating a police state.

[atsiii]

Just another great example of "Thainess" for the world to admire?

[muratremix]

Elected dictatorship is coming...

[rijb]

I don't condone physical fighting in parliament. I believe both sides are at fault.

I also don't condone how certain 'gentlemen' on this forum use news events, like this, to make dire predictions about the future of Thailand. And then, these predictions are discussed as a foregone conclusion.

It seems that almost every news event is interpreted as a battle between good and evil. One side wears 'rose-tinted' glasses and the other wears 'Hitler-tinted' glasses. And there will be shame and damnation for anyone who dares to question their tinted version of reality (or the future).

Yet, both sides seem to agree that (Thai TV, newspaper, etc.) reporting for almost every news event is suspect at best. In fact, there seems to be a direct correlation between poorly reported news events and over-the-top fanaticism on a thread…

------------------------------------------------------

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Yes, I live in Thailand

Yes, I've studied Thai history

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[Chao Lao Beach]

Bizzare.

It must have been a shopping day.

[webfact]

RT @tulsathit: Most understated headline of the day (by Matichon): More turmoil expected in Parliament today.

[gemini81]

Interesting. The article states: "opposition MPs were angry at being denied time to speak about the proposals, which would change the senate to a fully elected body. The plans are part of a contentious bid to amend a constitution written in the wake of a 2006 military coup...". A photo of the event shows an opposition MP with his hand around the throat of a police officer. Yet people here are branding the PTP as undemocratic and dangerous. I can easily imagine what these same people would be saying if it were a PTP or Red-Shirt with his hands around the police officer's throat...

The police and PTP work together, so they're not going to strangle one another.

Might you do the same if your MP position was deemed useless due to a dictatorship, and police having no business being there?

Maybe he just wanted to demonstrate how police should have handled red shirt rioters, 555

[Suradit69]

Television images showed politicians surrounded by police and grappling with them as they were marched towards the exit of the chamber, while screams were heard in the background

Nipit, who said there were some 100 police in parliament at the time

Ah democracy and free speech in action, why 100 police in parliament chamber at the time.....Yingluks stormtrooper in action

Why do I have a sad feeling Thailand headed towards another round of violence in the streets

Yes far better to have a Parliamentary Bar nearby where MPs can assault one another and brawl with police while maintaining the thin veneer of alcohol induced cordiality during actual debates. A Karaoke Night sounds just the thing to bring peace & harmony to warring Thai politicians.

MP Eric Joyce arrested after reports of Parliament bar disturbance

Related Stories

• MPs' glasses to be topped up less
• Bar ban for brawl MP Eric Joyce

MP Eric Joyce spent the night in custody at a central London police station after an alleged drunken brawl at a House of Commons bar.

The independent MP for Falkirk is still being held by police after the reported fracas during a karaoke night at the Sports and Social Club.

Officers were called to a disturbance just before 22:30 GMT on Thursday.

Mr Joyce, 52, was convicted of assault in a parliamentary bar last year, and later resigned from the Labour Party.

Former GP Sarah Wollaston, who has led Tory calls for a minimum alcohol unit price, said: "Eric Joyce is just one of hundreds of thousands who have lost control of their drinking. Westminster is blind to drinking problems."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21796157

[TackyToo]

"Thailand's parliament briefly descended into chaos.a circus................"

Thailand's parliament is always a circus...Ringling brothers could learn from them

Don’t worry, if they reach 2556 of the calendar used by the rest of the world, civilization may come to town.

First I thought it was a joke when they installed a metal detector at the entrance after they sold MP hand guns for a 50% discount. But on a second tought...

Edited August 21, 2013 by TackyToo