Thai ruling party mulls legal response to court ruling

[webfact]

Thai ruling party mulls legal response to court ruling

BANGKOK, November 22, 2013 (AFP) - Thai Premier Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday said she was taking legal advice to counter a Constitutional Court ruling that scuppered her party's plans for a fully-elected senate.

The ruling Puea Thai party has slammed the court for its Wednesday verdict that found a bill to change the make-up of parliament's upper house was "unconstitutional".

"This kind of thing has never happened before, so I will ask the Council of State to study the issue," Yingluck told reporters, referring to the government's legal advisers.

She added that she did not want to see "conflict" in the country, which has been seized by periodic bouts of sometimes bloody political turbulence since her divisive brother Thaksin was deposed in a coup seven years ago.

Puea Thai, which escaped potential dissolution by the court Wednesday, has questioned the authority of the tribunal's nine judges to rule on charter amendments that have been decided in parliament.

Spokesman Pormpong Nopparit said the party was looking at a number of legal avenues to fight the verdict, including trying to impeach the five judges who ruled the party had violated its powers in the process of passing the bill.

"I understand that impeachment might be difficult, but we have to try in order to protect people power and to assert that it is the right of the people to amend the constitution," he said.

Judicial rulings have played a key role in Thailand since the 2006 coup deposed Thaksin, who now lives in self-imposed exile abroad to avoid a conviction for corruption that he claims was politically motivated.

Two pro-Thaksin premiers were forced from office in 2008 by such rulings, making way for the opposition Democrat Party, backed by the military and Bangkok's elite, to take power in a parliamentary vote.

The scuppered Puea Thai constitutional amendment to make the upper house fully elected would have returned the senate to its structure before the 2006 coup -- a situation observers say the establishment is keen to avoid as it seeks to check Thaksin's electoral might.

The political temperature is already high after a controversial amnesty plan prompted rallies in Bangkok over fears it would have allowed Thaksin's return.

The amnesty bill was rejected by a senate vote last week, but the anti-government rallies have persisted.
Pormpong said the party is also mulling filing criminal charges against the judges under Thailand's strict royal insult laws.

"The (amendment) bill had already been submitted to the king, so the Constitutional Court had no authority to deliberate the case," he told AFP.

The monarchy is a highly sensitive topic in Thailand, where 85-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is revered as a demi-god by many Thais.

Critics say charges brought under Thailand's lese majeste legislation are often politically motivated.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-11-22

[thaicbr]

Spokesman Pormpong Nopparit said the party was looking at a number of legal avenues to fight the verdict, including trying to impeach the five judges who ruled the party had violated its powers in the process of passing the bill.

"I understand that impeachment might be difficult, but we have to try in order to protect people power and to assert that it is the right of the people to amend the constitution," he said.

If it is the right of the people to amend the constitution let them, Have a referendum, offer up 2 or 3 choices LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.

[goldmonky]

Spokesman Pormpong Nopparit said the party was looking at a number of legal avenues to fight the verdict, including trying to impeach the five judges who ruled the party had violated its powers in the process of passing the bill.

"I understand that impeachment might be difficult, but we have to try in order to protect people power and to assert that it is the right of the people to amend the constitution," he said.

If it is the right of the people to amend the constitution let them, Have a referendum, offer up 2 or 3 choices LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.

Yes let the people decide ,Surely that is true democracy is it not

[Baerboxer]

Spokesman Pormpong Nopparit said the party was looking at a number of legal avenues to fight the verdict, including trying to impeach the five judges who ruled the party had violated its powers in the process of passing the bill.

"I understand that impeachment might be difficult, but we have to try in order to protect people power and to assert that it is the right of the people to amend the constitution," he said.

If it is the right of the people to amend the constitution let them, Have a referendum, offer up 2 or 3 choices LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.

Anyone who believes that PTP and its leader have any intention on letting the people decide anything needs a reality check!

PTP could have proposed a new constitution anytime - but that requires a referendum. Are they scared of loosing ?

Refusing to respect the rule of law and acting illegally seems to be the norm for PTP and its previous incarnations.

[bob4you]

Anything she proposes, her brother is behind and they have enough money to buy the votes need to pass anything in an election, that is why the court will rule it unconstitutional.

[worgeordie]

Seems like the Government does not want to abide by the

rulings of any courts, (ICJ) ,Thai courts,if it does not go their

way, and I thought you were in contempt of court, if in Thailand

you criticize the judges rulings,or is that just another law for the

poor people!

regards Worgeordie

[bigbamboo]

More mulling. I wonder what the vow will be afterwards?

One thing puzzles me though. You would have thought that PT would have at least been prepared for this verdict and as such would have had a response ready. It was hardly a bolt out of the blue. Thailand is very big on boy scouts but judging by their consistent lack of preparedness for anything everyone in the government must have bunked off.

[Pib]

This crying, whining, and chest-beating by the PTP sure is entertaining....I expect the Constitutional Court finds it entertaining also.

[Neilly]

"This kind of thing has never happened before, so I will ask the Council of State to study the issue," Yingluck told reporters

Possibly because no government has tried to blatantly ram stuff thru which is unconstitutional...just a thought Ms Yingluck?

[Bakseeda]

Spokesman Pormpong Nopparit said the party was looking at a number of legal avenues to fight the verdict, including trying to impeach the five judges who ruled the party had violated its powers in the process of passing the bill.

"I understand that impeachment might be difficult, but we have to try in order to protect people power and to assert that it is the right of the people to amend the constitution," he said.

If it is the right of the people to amend the constitution let them, Have a referendum, offer up 2 or 3 choices LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.

Who needs "the people" Yinluck speaks for them.... surely..?

[Artisi]

Spokesman Pormpong Nopparit said the party was looking at a number of legal avenues to fight the verdict, including trying to impeach the five judges who ruled the party had violated its powers in the process of passing the bill.

"I understand that impeachment might be difficult, but we have to try in order to protect people power and to assert that it is the right of the people to amend the constitution," he said.

If it is the right of the people to amend the constitution let them, Have a referendum, offer up 2 or 3 choices LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.

Who needs "the people" Yinluck speaks for them.... surely..?

Yinluck speaks, well that's a new slant for a ventriloquists act - always thought it was the one manipulating the dummy that was doing all the talking, but guess there is always those who believe it's really the dummy.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Artisi

[tingtongteesood]

Surely EVERYONE in PT should be impeached and removed rather than the judges. Be careful what you threaten miss PM as it could well happen to you and should have long ago...

[Thai at Heart]

They don't want a referendum, they want it their way or no way.

I really have to say, whoever wrote this constituition is absolutely stupid. Any change to the consitution should require a super majority in parliament, as an absolute minimum, or preferably a super majority by referendum. It should not be feasible by simple majority in the lower house. Governments should be able to change constitutions, just not in the way that is written into the Thai consitution.

Of course, there has been a change once before to the consititution to change the make up of the party list MP's and consitutuencies, and this was carried out by simple majority in the lower house. So, you see, it is the framers of the stupid document who didn't do their work properly that leaves these enormous loopholes to drive a bus through.

[Bpuumike]

Spokesman Pormpong Nopparit said the party was looking at a number of legal avenues to fight the verdict, including trying to impeach the five judges who ruled the party had violated its powers in the process of passing the bill.

"I understand that impeachment might be difficult, but we have to try in order to protect people power and to assert that it is the right of the people to amend the constitution," he said.

If it is the right of the people to amend the constitution let them, Have a referendum, offer up 2 or 3 choices LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.

Good idea except a lot of northern folk will be paid to vote as told.

[mikebell]

Spokesman Pormpong Nopparit said the party was looking at a number of legal avenues to fight the verdict, including trying to impeach the five judges who ruled the party had violated its powers in the process of passing the bill.

"I understand that impeachment might be difficult, but we have to try in order to protect people power and to assert that it is the right of the people to amend the constitution," he said.

If it is the right of the people to amend the constitution let them, Have a referendum, offer up 2 or 3 choices LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.

Include the sum of bribe money alongside the choices and you can get the Thai populace to vote in anything, even a farang PM (which might be no bad thing.)