Notifications not working properly

[Lite Beer]

NLA to discuss impeachment of former Education Minister on 17 Sep

BANGKOK, 13 September 2015 (NNT) - The National Legislative Assembly has scheduled the date to discuss the impeachment of a former Education Minister.

NLA President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai has issued an order calling for a sitting on September 17 when all members of the legislature are set to acknowledge the decision by the Chief of the National Council for Peace and Order to revoke the police rank of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

Another urgent agenda set on that day is the retroactive impeachment of Somsak Prissananantakul who was a former Education Minister when the Democrat Party-led government was in power.

The impeachment was recommended by the National Anti-Corruption Commission for Mr. Somsak’s alleged involvement in corruption.

The NLA will also review a study on the strategy related to the preparation of Thai women for the start of the ASEAN Economic Community and the proposal to extend the time to deliberate the draft law on the promotion and the upholding of cultural heritage and wisdom.

-- NNT 2015-09-13

[anon467848]

Why does the Govt. waste taxpayers money with these 'dog and pony shows' even if the person is found guilty, all they ever get is a punitive fine, at the worst, a suspended jail sentence.

[Reigntax]

Because by impeaching elected ministers from any government they believe it justifies the military remaining in control.

If anything, everyone involved in education over the past 50 years should be charged because look at the lack of education and knowledge the current leaders received.

What the country needs is an investigation into the unexplained wealth of all senior military personnel and better still, just what do a few 1000 generals actually do for the country besides suck it dry.

[MaxLee]

Because by impeaching elected ministers from any government they believe it justifies the military remaining in control.

If anything, everyone involved in education over the past 50 years should be charged because look at the lack of education and knowledge the current leaders received.

What the country needs is an investigation into the unexplained wealth of all senior military personnel and better still, just what do a few 1000 generals actually do for the country besides suck it dry.

How many years will it take,.. 1, 2 years or a decade,.. Amazing Thailand.

And how's Ms. "Puppet's" trial going, anything,.... I heard it didn't start so well that it probably will take another 10 years until this case will be forgotten....

[Srikcir]

These impeachment proceedings against former public officials should not be a substitute for civil criminal proceedings.

Somehow Thailand military and civilian governments through the years have created two separate legal systems by segregating civil criminal violations from public office violations with the penalties between the two being vastly different. Prosecution for civil criminal offences can result in lengthy prison sentences and/or large fines. Prosecution for public office offenses such as abuse of power and conflict of interest can result merely in removal from office and/or barred from public office for some years.

For example, former PM Abhisit and former Deputy PM Suthep were originally charged by DSI in criminal court for their alleged use of military armed force against protesters and bystanders in 2010 that resulted in injury and deaths. If found guilty both potentially faced long jail terms and fines.

But charges were dismissed by the court because they were public officials at the time of the events, They were instead charged by NACC with public office administrative violations. If found guilty they only face retroactive impeachment. And if the impeachment term begins retroactively, they could run for public office in 2016!

Regardless of whether one is acting as a public official or as a private citizen, judgement by civil criminal laws should ALWAYS prevail. That brings EQUALITY to the judicial system. For public officials ADDITIONAL STANDARDS are deservedly imposed to discourage abuse of authority and punish for inappropriate conduct. Thus, in Abhisit and Suthep's case both would be prosecuted for criminal and adminstrative offenses.

[FangFerang]

"the proposal to extend the time to deliberate the draft law on the promotion and the upholding of cultural heritage and wisdom"

I understand any country wanting to preserve their cultural heritage, but "wisdom"? Is it the wisdom they mean when all BKK schoolchildren mock any ethnic dress in rural Thai areas and call them buffaloes (when they have been here for generations and cannot even vote because they are stateless natives), or the wisdom of enforcing encroachment laws on people who dwell where they are for more than a century before the government declared their habitats "public land", or the wisdom of forced kidnappings being called "attitude adjustment sessions"?

I am at a loss because the three issues discussed above are just the tip of the unwise iceberg.