September 8, 2020 Thai Enquirer Summary Political News • The
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September 8, 2020 Thai Enquirer Summary Political News The Opposition is set to use a general debate without a vote scheduled this Wednesday (September 9), to pressure embattled Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to step down. Ahead of the general debate in the House of Representatives tomorrow, the Pheu Thai Party announced that it is targeting embattled Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha during the debate. Pheu Thai MP for Nan province Cholnan Srikaew said opposition MPs would question the government on its Failure to solve economic problems Political crises and pressing issues like problems in agriculture, with Gen Prayut being their prime target. The opposition has set Gen Prayut as the prime target of this general debate. During the debate, it will push for Gen Prayut to resign to unlock all problems, Cholnan said, adding that the resignation proposal is not extreme at all as allowed by the Constitution. Once a prime minister steps down, the entire cabinet will have to be remove, paving the way for a new prime minister in the list of nominees for prime minister to move up, the Pheu Thai MP said, adding that Gen Prayut is perceived as the cause of all problems facing the country at the moment. It was tentatively agreed at the meeting that the opposition would be given 10 hours to debate and the government MPs and cabinet ministers 5 hours to answer questions. Pheu Thai has prepares 11-12 of its MPs to debate under the allocated time of 310 minute. Separately, Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat is another target of Pheu Thai following reports that surfaced about Santi’s dubious educational background. Santi’s educational background became a contentious issue after Pheu Thai MP for Mahasarakham Yutthapong Charasathien came out to seek Santi’s explanation why Ramkhamhaeng University ordered Santi’s name to be removed from its students’ registration list on August 4, 1999. Yutthapong went on to say the university’s order is a punishment for Santi after it found out that Santi assigned someone to sit in an exam for him, faking student ID card and a driver licence for him. The Pheu Thai MP claimed that Santi has never completed a Bachelor’s degree after committing serious violations of the university and this violated Section 160 of the constitution which states that a minister must have at least a bachelor’s degree. In addition, Yutthapong said he will unveil the real reason for Predee Daochai’s decision to resign as finance minister. The Pheu Thai MP hinted that Predee’s resignation had to do with the Mo Chit-Khu Khot Green Line MRT project following Santi’s push to propose an extension of the operating concession for another 40 years for BTS Group Holdings (BTS) despite the remaining 10 years which will end in 2029 from the original contract. The Pheu Thai MP claimed that former finance minister Uttama Savanayana already withdrew the Green Line extension from the cabinet in fear of unlawful side of the move. However, Santi is persistent with his push to extend the operating concession for another 40 years. This is the reason that pushed Predee to resign, Yutthapong claimed, saying that he will seek Santi’s explanation over the issue. Political pundits are already saying that the ongoing backing by Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha is an indication of how Gen. Prayut is now a lame duck Prime Minister. The situation is like that of Yingluck Shinawatra when she kept on backing out on the various issues during the 2013/2014 protest movement before a coup that ousted her. He has backed out on The planned amendment of the constitution The plans to set up a committee to look at the issues to be amended in the charter The planned procurement of the 22.5 billion baht of 2 submarines from China The re-opening of the case against Vorayut ‘Boss’ Yoovidhya after public outcry Then the latest is the release of Mike and Anon from prison after daily protests by the students in-front of the Central Prison There are reports that senators are now split into 3 groups over the issue of charter amendments. The first group is a group of around 100 senators who are undecided over the issue. This group comprises former military, police officials and former members of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA). The second group is those who fully support the government and opposition’s motions seeking charter amendments to reduce conflict in the country. This group comprises around 20-30 senators including Wanchai Sornsiri, Kamnoon Sitthisamarn and senators based in the northeast. The third group is a group of 60 independent senators who came out to oppose the proposal for a new constitutional drafting assembly (CDA) that is proposed to be drawn up from a direct election of various groups of people. The group of 60 senators which called themselves “independent senators”, most of whom are civilians, came out to oppose the idea of having a new CDA, saying that they fear that a new CDA to draw up a new charter would be manipulated by politicians, stemming widening conflict in society. Among prominent members of this group are Direkrit Jenkrongtham, Somchai Sawaengkarn, Kobkul Arpakorn Na Ayutthaya for instance. The group has reportedly set up a Line chat group to discuss charter amendments and voiced support for a proposal seeking to amend Section 272 of the constitution, in order to remove the Senate’s power to choose a prime minister, one of the 60 senators, Kittisak Rattanawaraha, disclosed. Kittisak said his group would meet today (September 8) to discuss the issue. Despite the group’s support behind charter changes with certain conditions, some academics came out to cast doubts on whether they might have a hidden agenda behind their move as this third group wanted the charter to be reviewed section by section, rather than allowing a CDA to be formed to write a new one. Yuttaporn Issarachai, a political scientist at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, said it appeared that the senators had agreed to back off on charter amendment issues but their demand for the charter to be reviewed section by section, rather than allowing a CDA to be formed to write a new one, raised doubt on their real intention. The Senate is set to hold a meeting on September 24 to allow senators to vote on the charter amendment issue independently. Two political activists Arnon Nampa and Phanuphong Chadnok were released yesterday (September 7) by the Criminal Court after 5 days in Bangkok Remand Prison after police withdrew a request for their detention. Arnon and Phanuphong were detained on August 7 and charged with sedition, violating the emergency decree’s ban on gatherings and other offences, for participating at a July 18 rally at Democracy Monument. The pair were released on bail the next day, but then jailed on September 3 after the court ruled they had broken bail conditions by continuing to attend and organise rallies. Arnon was permitted to reapply for bail and Phanuphong to pay 200,000 baht surety for his release, but both refused the conditions after local and international rights groups demanded their release and called on the government to respect people’s rights to protest peacefully. o . The duo after their release from the prison yesterday evening The duo said that in prison they met many of the ‘Red Shirt’ protest leaders who have been jailed and were given the go ahead with the likes of Nattawut Saikua saying that it was their time to move forward as his era of movement is now over. o Nattawut has been jailed for protesting in-front of the house of late Privy Council President Prem A major public forum called “A way out of Thailand’s political crisis” is set to be held at Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao at 14.00 hrs today (September 8). The forum will be attended by keynote speakers including former speakers of both Houses like former Senate speaker and 3-time House speaker Uthai Pimchaichon, 2 former Senate speakers Suchon Chaleekrua and Nikhom Wairatpanich as well as Vivatanachai Na Kalasin, former Kalasin MP and former head of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives. The forum will be used to compile ideas on possible solutions to current political impasse by these keynote speakers who will speak from their past political experience under several governments amid anti-government protests that escalated across at least 60 provinces nationwide, reflecting an urgent need for an exit way to the current crisis. Meanwhile former House Speaker and Rangsit University rector Arthit Ourairat took to his Facebook page to say the country has reached a dead-end and the government should realise this truth before asserting that there must not be another coup. He said it is now the time for embattled Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to make a sacrifice by stepping down, to pave the way for the appointment of an “outsider” prime minister as allowed by Section 272 of the constitution. He said the only way to get out of the country’s crisis is to have a “professional” government being formed to promote reconciliation with former prime minister Anand Panyarachun being installed as prime minister to reform the country, revive the economy and rewrite the charter under a constitutional monarchy within 2-years. Earlier, army chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong came out to dismiss rumours of a coup d’etat amid speculation that is rife following the spokesman of the opposition Move Forward Party’s warning of a possible military intervention.