Thai Charter-change, other bills to be rendered void

[webfact]

POLITICS
Charter-change, other bills to be rendered void
The Nation

Several important legal amendments and bills will become invalid as a result of the House dissolution.

BANGKOK: -- They include the controversial changes to three articles of the Constitution proposed by the Pheu Thai-led government, which were about to undergo their third and final readings, the spokesperson of the House secretariat office said yesterday. There are 68 bills and amendments pending.

Article 68 of the charter stipulates that any petitions concerning alleged constitutional violations or disputes can be made directly to the Constitutional Court - but the Yingluck Shinawatra government wants the process to go through public prosecutors, said Somchart Thammasiri.

Article 237 imposes a five-year ban on party executives whose political parties are disbanded; but the amendment would end the requirement that they be barred. And if Article 291 is altered as the Pheu Thai government wants, amendment of the entire charter could be done, he said.

The other bills are mostly under the scrutiny process by House committees, the important ones being the consumer protection bill, trade-secret protection bill, the human-rights bill, the Fang province establishment bill, and the protection of victims of medical malpractices bill. There is only one bill undergoing Senate scrutiny - an organic law on budget auditing.

Court to decide on petitions

Meanwhile, a high-ranking court source said yesterday that the Constitutional Court will decide tomorrow what to do with a number of key petitions filed against the Yingluck Shinawatra government, on legislation including the Bt2-trillion borrowing bill and the controversial amnesty bill, following the House dissolution announced yesterday by the prime minister.

The source was referring to the court's procedure, under Number 23 of the 2007 law establishing the court, over its jurisdiction in handling post-dissolution petitions.

The rules say that a House dissolution does not render any petition invalid, and that the petitions can be dropped only if the complainants are dead, if the petition is withdrawn, or the judges deem the petition baseless.

The Bt2-trillion borrowing bill and the amnesty bill were petitioned against by the opposition Democrat Party.


-- The Nation 2013-12-10

[waza]

There some good news

[soundman]

Some good news to come out of this mayhem. Maybe all the 'checks and balances' won't get changed for whatever legislation to simply get rammed through by a majority vote.

[virtualtraveller]

This was key, Thaksin really needed these to go through before new election, now he may not win back outright majority in which case coalition partners can 'check and balance' him

And he couldn't get his hands on the 2 trillion vote buying money.

[PeterSmiles]

This was key, Thaksin really needed these to go through before new election, now he may not win back outright majority in which case coalition partners can 'check and balance' him

And he couldn't get his hands on the 2 trillion vote buying money.

And if the court decides tomorrow that the 2Trillion loan bill and the amnesty bill are void, PT and their reds will cry, we do not recognize the decision of the constitutional court

[ggold]

This was key, Thaksin really needed these to go through before new election, now he may not win back outright majority in which case coalition partners can 'check and balance' him

And he couldn't get his hands on the 2 trillion vote buying money.

coalition partners can check and balance?

Coalition = a party or group of parties that form a government when there is not clear majority to govern by one party. The nature of a coalition is to support that one party in return for some of their policies being adopted. IT is the Opposition that check and balance.

Not the coalition that feed from the same trough as (in this case) their ex-coalition partners PTP.

[ggold]

This was key, Thaksin really needed these to go through before new election, now he may not win back outright majority in which case coalition partners can 'check and balance' him

And he couldn't get his hands on the 2 trillion vote buying money.

And if the court decides tomorrow that the 2Trillion loan bill and the amnesty bill are void, PT and their reds will cry, we do not recognize the decision of the constitutional court

It would have been interesting if the rice scheme became void as well! Then where will PTP get their support? That is the problem with these sorts of populist policies. When they do expire as a policy it is those that were supposed to benefit from the scheme who lose out big time.

The scammer's can go to Dubai with their great leader!

[kingalfred]

2 trillion borrowing bill!!! Jeez I know it's baht but the country is on a slope to bankruptcy .Borrowing money that will inevitability be wasted and be lost in the mists of corruption,And leaving all the debt to its children and future generations.No wonder so many thai students I talk to are depressed about Thailands future and keen to live overseas

[tingtongteesood]

Article 237 imposes a five-year ban on party executives whose political parties are disbanded; but the amendment would end the requirement that they be barred.

In plain and simple terms what this means is that Thaksin's cronies keep getting caught for electoral fraud, their parties keep getting dissolved and his cronies keep getting banned for 5 years each time. He has tried to get his puppets to change the rules so his cronies can't be banned any more. DISGRACEFUL !!!!! IT SHOULD BE AN INSTANT LIFE BAN FROM POLITICS FOR ANYONE CAUGHT DOING MISDEEDS !

[Emptyset]

Article 237 imposes a five-year ban on party executives whose political parties are disbanded; but the amendment would end the requirement that they be barred.

In plain and simple terms what this means is that Thaksin's cronies keep getting caught for electoral fraud, their parties keep getting dissolved and his cronies keep getting banned for 5 years each time. He has tried to get his puppets to change the rules so his cronies can't be banned any more. DISGRACEFUL !!!!! IT SHOULD BE AN INSTANT LIFE BAN FROM POLITICS FOR ANYONE CAUGHT DOING MISDEEDS !

Actually the person found guilty would still be banned but it would mean that the executives of the whole party wouldn't be punished for something they didn't necessarily have any involvement in. This amendment should be fully supported because some very capable of people have been banned for absolutely no reason, resulting in some of the knuckledragging ministers we've seen in the past few years.

The only people it's suited so far are those who want to see Thaksin weakened. For that reason it was originally introduced by the junta in a 'special announcement' when the 1997 Constitution was rescinded by the coup and it was applied retroactively to the TRT executives. Although in the end, it didn't really even serve that purpose. Thaksin's parties have still won every election, but the ministers they have choosen have been more incompetent and corrupt than usual due to article 237. So not only is it simply unjust, it's been of no benefit to anyone.

[robblok]

Article 237 imposes a five-year ban on party executives whose political parties are disbanded; but the amendment would end the requirement that they be barred.

In plain and simple terms what this means is that Thaksin's cronies keep getting caught for electoral fraud, their parties keep getting dissolved and his cronies keep getting banned for 5 years each time. He has tried to get his puppets to change the rules so his cronies can't be banned any more. DISGRACEFUL !!!!! IT SHOULD BE AN INSTANT LIFE BAN FROM POLITICS FOR ANYONE CAUGHT DOING MISDEEDS !

Actually the person found guilty would still be banned but it would mean that the executives of the whole party wouldn't be punished for something they didn't necessarily have any involvement in. This amendment should be fully supported because some very capable of people have been banned for absolutely no reason, resulting in some of the knuckledragging ministers we've seen in the past few years.

The only people it's suited so far are those who want to see Thaksin weakened. For that reason it was originally introduced by the junta in a 'special announcement' when the 1997 Constitution was rescinded by the coup and it was applied retroactively to the TRT executives. Although in the end, it didn't really even serve that purpose. Thaksin's parties have still won every election, but the ministers they have choosen have been more incompetent and corrupt than usual due to article 237. So not only is it simply unjust, it's been of no benefit to anyone.

While i actually agree with your arguments and in a normal place id agree I don't now.

They would just find a fall guy to arrange it all and the other stuff is hard to proof.

We have seen how the PTP plays by the book when they went for the amnesty bill and other bills.

Still your point is real valid because its certainly possible for good people to get caught up in it.

[belg]

the counter has been resetted, counting down to the next disaster