"40 Senators Group" boycotting today's amnesty bill debate

[webfact]

"40 Senators Group" boycotting today’s amnesty bill debate
By English News



BANGKOK, Nov 8 – Thailand’s Upper House has rescheduled its debate on the amnesty bill to 2 pm today amid the insistence by scores of senators to stay away from the meeting.

Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanich abruptly called a Senate meeting this afternoon to speed up deliberation of the controversial bill which was passed by the House of Representatives last Friday.

The Senate is required to finish deliberation of the bill within 60 days after receiving it from the Lower House.

Paiboon Nititawan, an appointed senator, said the group of 40 senators will boycott today’s meeting but will follow the original schedule to meet next Monday as agreed and announced by the Senate whips.

He said the Senate speaker who bowed to government pressure must take responsibility for his action which could lead to strong protests from senators.

The amnesty bill, if rejected by the Senate, will be frozen for 180 days after which the Lower House is empowered to raise it again for deliberation. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-11-08

[bigbamboo]

The push for amnesty is over.

Now comes the shove.

[robblok]

I wonder what these guys hope to win with this.. extending the protest.. showing their muscles ?

[ggold]

Are these 40 appointed Senators from PTP by any chance?

[casindonet]

Why can't they just do their job & vote "NO" to the bill? It's much better than not doing anything.

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[h90]

I wonder what these guys hope to win with this.. extending the protest.. showing their muscles ?

I think there is a background story we don't know. I guess there is more than extending the protests or showing their muscles....But that is just an uneducated guess.

[WAERTH]

What the article is missing is the following.

These 40 are worried that many senators will not show up today because they were thinking it was on Monday as already agreed a week ago. So the PTP would fly in their loyal senators and ramrod the bill through the senate. If these 40 do not show up as well, the senate has no quorum and cannot debate what to eat for lunch even.

[waza]

What the article is missing is the following.

These 40 are worried that many senators will not show up today because they were thinking it was on Monday as already agreed a week ago. So the PTP would fly in their loyal senators and ramrod the bill through the senate. If these 40 do not show up as well, the senate has no quorum and cannot debate what to eat for lunch even.

Thaksin you magnificent bastard, I read your book.

[bigbamboo]

What the article is missing is the following.

These 40 are worried that many senators will not show up today because they were thinking it was on Monday as already agreed a week ago. So the PTP would fly in their loyal senators and ramrod the bill through the senate. If these 40 do not show up as well, the senate has no quorum and cannot debate what to eat for lunch even.

What absolute rubbish.

Nothing will get in the way of a Thai's lunch.

[NCFC]

These 40 senators had plans already for Friday afternoon, on the golf course or with their gigs. They're upset coz they have to change plans

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[coma]

I am with them. I wouldn't want my friday afternoon round of golf disturbed.

[Lite Beer]

Nikom to call another Senate meeting Saturday if Friday meeting aborted

BANGKOK: -- Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanij said Friday morning that if a Senate meeting could not be held on the day, he would call for another meeting Saturday.

Nikom said he would wait until 2 pm for the Senate to make quorum.

The Group of 40 boycotted the meeting, saying they wanted to wait until Monday to debate the amnesty bill as in the initial schedule.

Deputy Senate Speaker Surachai Liangboonlert, who belongs to the Group of 40, said he expected the meeting would be held Monday as in the initial schedule.

-- The Nation 2013-11-08

[Neilly]

Nikom said he would wait until 2 pm for the Senate to make quorum.

[Thai at Heart]

Oh dear. Are these idiots really going to prevent a quorom?

Does anyone anywhere in this country understand the concept of public service and sacrifice?

[ratcatcher]

What the article is missing is the following.

These 40 are worried that many senators will not show up today because they were thinking it was on Monday as already agreed a week ago. So the PTP would fly in their loyal senators and ramrod the bill through the senate. If these 40 do not show up as well, the senate has no quorum and cannot debate what to eat for lunch even.

Thaksin you magnificent bastard, I read your book.

He's only following a patton.

[givenall]

Why can't they just do their job & vote "NO" to the bill? It's much better than not doing anything.

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

One thing is for sure none can be trusted, especially the PM when she said no more amnesty bill. They probably will try to sneak it thru in a different way maybe calling it freedom bill

[jcb2001]

Sounds like this "Group of 40" are not going to let the gov't ramrod this amnesty bill down their throats at the demands of a fugitive criminal. Good on them!

[DLock]

Why can't it wait till Monday anyway?

Who insisted that it had to be done today I wonder?

[chainarong]

The problem these Senators and the PTP have as a whole, they have been pushed into a corner and they don't know how to manage , respond to this kind of treatment from the people of Thailand , the whole shebang was a farce right from the start and the PTP would be well advised to do the right thing by the country and completely drop this Amnesty bill before some will be eating cake .

[metisdead]

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed as well as the replies containing that post.

[WAERTH]

On twitter it was said that so far in the past 30 minutes only 67 senators showed up. 8 short of a quorum of 75.

The senate head said they will try again tomorrow (saturday) to get the senate together if they cannot get a quorum today.

I wonder why he is in a hurry and cannot wait till monday ........... :/

[rubl]

Mind you, with the initial debat set for Monday some may have scheduled other activities for today or tomorrow. Some may still be studying the bill, talking with various protest groups, talking with anti-anti people to get a good feeling for what the Thai public feels and wants.

What's the hurry anyway? Protests look like a blot on the wonderful achievements of this government, PM Yingluck upset?

Oh dear. Are these idiots really going to prevent a quorom?

Does anyone anywhere in this country understand the concept of public service and sacrifice?

[webfact]

Senate still unable to make quorum for amnesty bill deliberation
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- One hour has passed but the Senate was still unable to make quorum for a meeting to deliberate the amnesty bill at 3 pm Friday.

The meeting was scheduled at 2 pm.

At 3 pm, only 67 senators were present in the assembly hall. There are a total of 149 senators so it requires at least 75 senators to make quorum.

The Group of 40 has vowed to boycott the meeting.

Despite the lack of quorum, the Senate speaker was still waiting for more senators to join the meeting.


-- The Nation 2013-11-08

[rubl]

How time flies. Was it only a few hours ago we had

"Nikom said he would wait until 2 pm for the Senate to make quorum."

Senate still unable to make quorum for amnesty bill deliberation
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- One hour has passed but the Senate was still unable to make quorum for a meeting to deliberate the amnesty bill at 3 pm Friday.

The meeting was scheduled at 2 pm.

At 3 pm, only 67 senators were present in the assembly hall. There are a total of 149 senators so it requires at least 75 senators to make quorum.

The Group of 40 has vowed to boycott the meeting.

Despite the lack of quorum, the Senate speaker was still waiting for more senators to join the meeting.


-- The Nation 2013-11-08

[h90]

What the article is missing is the following.

These 40 are worried that many senators will not show up today because they were thinking it was on Monday as already agreed a week ago. So the PTP would fly in their loyal senators and ramrod the bill through the senate. If these 40 do not show up as well, the senate has no quorum and cannot debate what to eat for lunch even.

These many senators have no phone, no TV and radio and their cave is somewhere where not even a helicopter can land and inform them?

[jdinasia]

My observations and understanding.

The group of 40 are all appointed senators. Some were worried that the change of date for the consideration of the amnesty bill before the senate was an effort to push the amnesty bill through.

In theory no senator is supposed to be partisan. Including the 77 elected senators. In practice this may not be so.

I am assuming if the whole senate is present that the amnesty bill will be blocked, but I have been surprised by what happens in Thailand in the past.

[fab4]

Sounds like this "Group of 40" are not going to let the gov't ramrod this amnesty bill down their throats at the demands of a fugitive criminal. Good on them!

Yes like the powerful people they are they are going to delay the deliberation of the bill from today ..........................................................until Monday.

Like you say, Good on them

[NongKhaiKid]

Why can't it wait till Monday anyway?

Who insisted that it had to be done today I wonder?

The other newspaper quoted the Speaker as sayin an ' outside ' person had been lobbying senators to kill the bill but no clue given as to whom it miht be, not even an inital this time.

[khunken]

The question is: why did the speaker suddenly change the meeting from Monday to today? Who ordered him?

It doesn't take much savvy to connect it to the backpedalling PTP.

[GentlemanJim]

My Theory

The Senators are opposition Senators. the Government has been forced in to a corner by the protests and after canceling the other 6 draft bills are left with this one. They (the Government) are doing exactly what they said they would not do....they are interfering with the Senate. The Government have lobbied the Speaker of the Senate to rush the handling of the amnesty bill through, even if it is a no go, because the Government cannot risk the escalation of public opinion and the swelling numbers of protesters that will gather momentum over the weekend. The 40 senators are saying 'ram it' we were timetabled for Monday, that is when we will debate it and if the Government are sitting on hot coals because of their own stupidity then burn baby burn. It is a sweet move and gives Suthep and his Gang the whole weekend to whip the country up into a frenzy of anti-amnesty and anti-corruption. A splendid move, not quite 'mate' but definitely 'check'!