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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024737

Debate on opposition’s charter amendment bill collapses as senators stay away

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 08, 2023

A joint sitting of MPs and senators to discuss a charter amendment bill proposed by the Pheu Thai Party collapsed due to a lack of quorum on Wednesday, as most senators were absent.

The joint House-Senate sitting was scheduled to deliberate on the bill sponsored by the main opposition Pheu Thai to remove the power of senators to join MPs in electing the prime minister.

The meeting started at 11.10am after Parliament President Chuan Leekpai waited for over two hours for MPs and senators to enter the convention hall.

After 342 out of 665 current MPs and senators reported their presence by inserting their parliamentary ID cards into the card readers at their seats, Chuan announced the start of the meeting. A joint sitting requires the presence of 333 members to achieve the quorum.

At that time, only 52 out of 249 senators identified themselves as being present.

However, the meeting could not start deliberations on the bill as Somchai Sawaengkan, a senator, sought a vote on whether the rescheduling of the charter amendment bill atop the meeting agenda violated Parliament’s meeting regulations.

This prompted Chuan to call senators and MPs to reconfirm their presence at 11.28am. After a long wait, Chuan announced at noon that the meeting had to be closed because there were only 308 MPs and senators present.

Chuan added that 15 MPs and 95 senators had informed of their absence before the meeting.

It was reported that deputy Senate speaker, General Singsuek Singprai, had told senators to decline to report their presence in a tactic to deny the quorum and derail the bill.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024734

Prayut failed to honour promises made before coup, Chuwit says

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 08, 2023

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has failed to honour two of the promises he made when he seized power in a coup eight years ago – to eliminate online gambling and corruption, especially among the police, whistleblower Chuwit Kamolvisit said.

When Prayut seized power by toppling the Yingluck Shinawatra government on May 22 2014, he promised to wipe out corruption and crack down on gambling, the former politician and massage parlor wrote on Facebook late Tuesday night.

Prayut has been done to eliminate corruption by police, he said. They are still taking bribes, and this allows social-vice businesses, especially online gambling, to thrive, he added.

“The prime minister has been in power for eight years following the power seizure [for which he] cited corruption as a cause. He has absolute power like Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkham in the past, but he didn’t act to wipe out or lessen corruption,” Chuwit said. “Instead, he has become a part of the system of nepotism that continues without doing anything.”

By noon Wednesday, the post had been “liked” more than 8,800 times, shared over 510 times, and received more than 530 comments.

Chuwit recently exposed several incidents of alleged corruption by police. He also helped organise a press conference in Bangkok at which a Singaporean friend of a Taiwanese actress said Thai police extorted 27,000 baht as a bribe from the actress and her friends at a Bangkok checkpoint early last month.

There are several Chinese triads operating in Thailand because of corruption at the Immigration Bureau, he said.

Online gambling has intensified during the past few years and three key police agencies in charge of suppressing online crimes are instead being used by the officers in charge for personal gain, Chuwit said.

They are the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, Cyber Crime Investigation Division 5, and the Police Cyber Taskforce, he said.

Police set up road checkpoints to extort money from foreign tourists and pass on the biggest share of the bribes to their superiors, Chuwit said.

Money laundering and human trafficking suspects can buy their freedom by paying bribes to senior officials at various levels in the judicial system, he said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024725

Court releases hunger strikers, refuses bail for Thalugaz protesters

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 08, 2023

The Criminal Court refused bail release for eight anti-government Thalugaz protesters on Tuesday – the same day it granted temporary release to two activists on hunger strike.

The court ruled that charges against three of the Thalugaz suspects, who are accused of using small explosive devices, were too serious to grant them temporary release.

It added that their bail requests had already been rejected several times.

The court said it would consider granting bail to one suspect after examining his education and job records.

It also ordered probation officers to check the job records and behaviour of the four remaining suspects, adding it would decide on their bail application within 15 days.

The Thalugaz group comprises mainly vocational school and college students. Last year, they clashed with riot police in Bangkok on numerous occasions during protests against the Prayut Chan-o-cha government. In contrast with peaceful anti-government demonstrations, Thalugaz protesters have used firecrackers, glass pellets and flares against riot police, while also setting fire to a patrol car.

Also on Tuesday, the court granted temporary release to Tantawan Tuatulanon and Orawan Phuphong after the health of the two hunger-striking activists reportedly deteriorated to a life-threatening level.

The bail request came from Thammasat University Hospital’s director, who said the pair were now in critical condition after launching their hunger strike on January 18. Tantawan and Orawan are charged with insulting the royal family by conducting a public opinion poll on royal motorcades in February last year. They went on hunger strike to demand an end to prosecution of people for exercising freedom of expression, and repeal of the lese majeste (royal insult) law that carries up to 15 years in jail and the sedition law.

Related stories:

Uthenthawai Campus students protest to demand resumption of on-site classes

Investigation into attack on reporters will be fair: Damrongsak

Police chief warns media to stay away from protest clashes

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024710

Prayut non-committal on whether he will run for House seat

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2023

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said he has yet to decide whether he will contest as a party-list candidate for the United Thai Nation Party (UTNP).

Speaking to reporters after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Prayut said he has not yet decided whether he will run for a House seat along with trying to get re-elected as prime minister.

“I still don’t know. I’ll tell you when it’s time,” Prayut said when reporters asked to confirm speculation that he will become UTNP’s first party-list MP.

Prayut had said he would stand as the party’s only PM candidate.

Under the Constitution, Prayut can hold the prime minister’s seat for another two years if re-elected in the next general election, scheduled tentatively for May 7.

Prayut said he has told UTNP’s tentative candidates to be careful while campaigning and avoid criticising coalition partners.

It was earlier reported that some candidates of Bhumjaithai Party, which is a coalition partner, had attacked Prayut in their campaign speeches.

Before the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was seen approaching the premier for a private chat.

Prayut said Anutin had shown up to explain why members of his party had attacked him while campaigning.

“It’s a non-issue. Anutin met me to explain it,” Prayut said.

Anutin is also the leader of Bhumjaithai Party.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024704

Top Thai court issues arrest warrant for ex-interior minister Jarupong

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2023

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Position has issued an arrest warrant for former interior minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan over a graft case dating back to 2012.

The warrant was issued because Jarupong failed to attend the first hearing on December 13, the court said. Jarupong had assigned his lawyer to represent him in court on that day.

The former minister is being sued for unlawfully taking gifts worth more than 3,000 baht from a private company twice in 2012 and 2013.

Thailand’s anti-corruption laws prohibit state officials from receiving gifts worth more than 3,000 baht from private companies.

According to the lawsuit, Jarupong flew business class on China Airlines from Bangkok to Beijing and back in 2012 and then again to Kuala Lumpur and back in 2013.

The former minister then reportedly had Eastern Water Resources Development and Management Plc reimburse him for the two round-trip tickets worth 39,000 baht and 20,000 baht, respectively. The reimbursement was allegedly sought even though Jarupong had no direct links with the company.

At that time, Jarupong was part of then-PM Yingluck Shinawatra’s Cabinet and also chaired the board of directors for the Provincial Waterworks Authority.

Yingluck’s government was ousted in a military coup led by incumbent Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha in 2014.