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Senate votes against impeaching Surapong over satellite concession
KHANITTHA THEPPHAJORN
The Nation

THE SENATE voted yesterday not to impeach former Information and Communications Technology minister Surapong Suebwonglee.

BANGKOK: -- Surapong was targeted for impeachment after he had pushed for a satellite concession change seen as favourable to a conglomerate under the control of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's family.

The matter was considered by the Senate in an urgent motion in order to impeach Surapong along with then ICT Ministry permanent secretary Kraisorn Pornsutee under Article 270 of the Constitution and forwarded by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

The two were deemed as having violated Article 157 of the criminal code for permitting a revision of the fifth satellite communications contract on October 27, 2004 in order to allow Shin Corp to reduce the amount of shares in Shin Satellite from no less than 51 per cent to no less than 40 per cent of the total shares. This was regarded as inappropriate and illegal by the NACC.

Members of the Senate voted in secret at a ballot booth yesterday but failed to reach a minimum of three fifths of the votes to endorse the impeachment of Surapong and Kraisorn as required by law.

Some 70 senators supported the impeachment while 59 voted against the motion, thus the level of support fell short of the three fifths or 90 votes legally required.

Some 66 senators voted to impeach Kraisorn, but another 66 voted against the move, with one abstention.

Senate President Nikom Wairatpanij then informed the Upper House that members had decided not to impeach the pair, as not enough senators had voted for the motion.


-- The Nation 2013-10-02

[rametindallas]

Shouldn't this be a criminal case? This offence is far worse than Dr. Thaksin endorsing his wife's purchase of government owned land and it is far more damaging to the Country.

[Tatsujin]

<deleted> people, wake up . . . can you not see what these criminals are doing to Thailand? Rise up, do something, stand up for your rights and freedoms. Or do you want your whole life controlled and dictated by the Shins????

[bigbamboo]

<deleted> people, wake up . . . can you not see what these criminals are doing to Thailand? Rise up, do something, stand up for your rights and freedoms. Or do you want your whole life controlled and dictated by the Shins????

I think some people are becoming paranoid here.

I mean who could ever envisage a society where the people are ruled from afar by someone known as Big Brother, who never allows himself to be seen in public but only ever appears in order to issue communiques to the people on a video screen?

Preposterous!

Edited October 2, 2013 by bigbamboo

[confirmed3]

Shouldn't this be a criminal case?

It can be.

The NACC can directly forward the charges to the Attorney General for prosecution as per the referenced constitution article.

The downside is that this is the same Attorney General that apparently has just dismissed previously filed charges on another matter against the man Surapong worked for and the owner of the satellite company that Surapong unfairly aided.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/671814-terror-charge-against-thaksin-dropped-2010-political-crisis/

.

Edited October 2, 2013 by confirmed3

[Baerboxer]

And so the charges disappear, one by one, as if by magic.

PTP know how to use the law to punish opponents with any thought up charges. Obviously, no laws apply to them and any misdeeds can be forgiven in the interests of reconciliation.

Virtually every Thai I know, apart from ardent Reds, shake their head and tut tut at the mention of this regime.

As the saying goes - "all it needs for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing".

Edited October 2, 2013 by Baerboxer