The Constitution Court ruled on Wednesday to end the parliamentary status of Bhumjaithai party-list MP Samlee Raksutthee on grounds that he was not qualified to remain MP because of a previous graft conviction.
The court voted 6:3 to rule that Samlee’s MP status had ended since election day on March 24, 2019.
House Speaker Chuan Leekpai had asked the court to consider whether Samlee was qualified to contest the election since he was once convicted in a corruption case by the Mahasarakham provincial court.
The House speaker’s complaint stated that Section 98 (10) of the MPs election act prohibited persons convicted in corruption cases from standing in a national election.
After the court accepted the complaint for consideration on November 3 last year, it ordered Samlee to stop work as an MP pending a ruling.
The court has now ruled that Samlee’s MP status ended in accordance with Section 101 (6) of the Constitution and Section 98 (10) of the organic law on MP election.
The court said the House speaker must announce that the Bhumjaithai party-list candidate of the rank below Samlee is now the new party-list MP and also announce the new MP’s name in the Royal Gazette within a week.
The Constitutional Court has ruled to confirm that the prime minister is empowered by the emergency decree to ban demonstrations.
The court voted 8:1 on Wednesday to rule that the prime minister can invoke the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations BE 2548 (2005) to ban protests and demonstrations.
The court had convened a meeting to decide whether Section 9 (2) and Section 11 (6) of the emergency decree contradict the Constitution.
The Constitutional Court took up the issue upon request by Piyarat Jongthep, a suspect who was tried at Dusit District Court for allegedly breaking the emergency decree by leading a protest in defiance of the ban. The court forwarded the request to the Constitutional Court for a final decision.
Piyarat argued that Section 9 (2) and Section 11 (6) of the emergency decree violated the Constitution that guarantees the people’s right of free expression so he cannot be convicted by the Dusit District Court.
But the Constitutional Court ruled that the two sections, which empowered the prime minister to ban protests and demonstrations in a situation of violence and terror attacks, did not contradict the charter.
Section 9 (2) states that:
“In the case of necessity in order to remedy and promptly resolve an emergency situation or to prevent the worsening of such a situation, the Prime Minister shall have the power to issue the following regulations:
…(2) to prohibit the assembly or gathering of persons at any place or the commission of any act which may cause unrest.”
Section 11 (6) states that:
“In the case where an emergency situation involves terrorism, use of force, harm to life, body or property, or there are reasonable grounds to believe that there exists a severe act which affects the security of state, the safety of life or property of the state or person, and there is a necessity to resolve the problem in an efficient and timely manner, the Prime Minister, upon the approval of the Council of Ministers, shall have the power to declare that such an emergency situation is a serious situation, and the provisions of section 5 and section 6 paragraph two shall apply mutatis mutandis. Upon a declaration under paragraph one, in addition to powers section 9 and section 10, the Prime Minister shall also have the following powers:
…(6) to issue a notification on the prohibition of any act or any instruction to perform an act to the extent that is necessary for maintaining the security of the state, the safety of the country or the safety of the people.”
Air Force Commander-in-Chief ACM Panpakdee Pattanakul insisted on Wednesday that the Royal Thai Air Force needs a fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to replace three fleets of old and worn-out jets.
Panpakdee said the Air Force has to catch up with changes in technology and it found that one F-35 fighter jet can take on an average of 3.27 F-16 fighter jets.
“This means if we have F-35 jets in an appropriate number, they can effectively replace the jets that will be decommissioned,” Panpakdee said.
He said the purchase of F-35 fighter jets would allow the Royal Thai Air Force to learn and catch up with leading technologies in the defence industry.
He said the Air Force was not preparing to go to war with any country but it has to be prepared for any threats to national security.
Reacting to criticisms that F-35 jets would be too expensive and too advanced for use in defending the country, the Air Force chief said no one could predict what would happen in the future so the country needed to get ready to defend against external threats.
Panpakdee said the Air Force would have to decommission three fleets of worn-out jets from this year to 2032 because it cost about THB700,000 to THB1 million to service one old fighter jet.
He said the Air Force realised it could not purchase up to three new fleets, so it considered that one fleet of F-35 jets could effectively replace the three decommissioned fleets.
Panpakdee said the project to buy two F-35 jets under the fiscal 2023 budget did not state details of armament because the Air Force wanted to leave armament options open for installing weapons in about 10 years.
He said the requested budget of THB700 million would be just for making preparations of airport and aviation, supporting gears for the arrival of the new F-35 jets and it could take up to 10 years for the jets to be delivered.
He said if details of the armament were stated now, the weapons could be outdated when the jets are delivered in 10 years.
He added that the starting budget would be for training of pilots as well and the Air Force must start making preparations now or else the purchase would be delayed.
But if the project is chopped from the fiscal 2023 budget, the Air Force would request it again next year, he added.
Panpakdee was speaking to reporters when he led students from schools around the Royal Thai Air Force to watch the Top Gun Maverick movie at Major Cineplex at Future Park Rangsit under the “Road to Top Gun” project.
Panpakdee said he hoped the movie would inspire youths to want to join the Air Force when they grow up.
Bangkok’s new Governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Wednesday unveiled his working policies and his team.
Chadchart met Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials and workers after the inauguration ceremony. He said he was glad to have them as his companions. He wanted everyone to work together as they are the same team and that he did not consider himself their boss. He said he wanted them to read his policies and suggested some feedback or criticism so they could be improved.
Chadchart said that transparency would be his top priority and he would not tolerate corruption. He said he wants the BMA to be an honest organisation where everyone is working with transparency. He also assured a fair and just appointment and dismissal process.
Chadchart said he is a morning person because he has a daily routine. He will go anywhere without notice so he does not want anyone to be obligated to him. He also prohibited officials from welcoming rituals because he wanted to keep it simple and not cause any burden to citizens.
He said he wanted to be a “roaming” governor, inspecting every district and office. He aims to plant a million trees in Bangkok while district directors have to take care of repeated floods, street vendors, and traffic problems.
He also revealed the deputy governors chosen by him. They are:
Chakkaphan Phewngam, former deputy governor, for finance
Wisanu Subsompon, director of Chulalongkorn University Intellectual Property Institute and Civil Engineering professor, for infrastructure and traffic
Tavida Kamolvej, dean of Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, for disaster and public health
Sanon Wangsrangboon, co-founder of Satarana and Once Again Hostel, for social development and education
Former Thai Rak Thai Party MP Pimuk Simaroj will be the secretary.
Chadchart Sittipunt officially took his position as the 17th governor of Bangkok at City Hall in Phra Nakhon district on Wednesday.
Chadchart presented his election certificate to Bangkok Metropolitan Administration permanent secretary Khajit Chatchavanich, and greeted officials who attended the ceremony and congratulated him.
After the ceremony, he went to Bangkok City Hall 2 in Din Daeng district to pay respects to sacred objects there.
Progressive candidate Chadchart got 1.386 million votes in the May 22 election. He was way ahead of second-placed Democrat Suchatvee Suwansawat (254,723 votes) and Move Forward’s Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn (253,938 votes).
Chadchart, who was transport minister during the Yingluck Shinawatra government and was the Pheu Thai Party’s prime ministerial candidate, bettered the mandate received by Democrat Sukhumbhand Paribatra when he won the last Bangkok governor election in 2013 with 1,256,349 votes.
Chadchart wooed the electorate with his campaign “Bangkok, a livable city for everyone”, outlining 214 policies to transform the capital.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha launched a veiled attack on exiled ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra while responding to allegations of favouritism by the opposition leader during the budget debate on Tuesday.
In his response to opposition and Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew’s criticism of the budget, Prayut said his government did not practice favouritism like how the Thaksin government in the past threatened to make budgetary provisions only to provinces that elected the ruling party’s MPs.
Cholnan was the first opposition MP to attack the fiscal 2023 budget bill on the first day of the three-day budget debate.
Cholnan alleged that the budget allocations were prepared with the intention of benefiting coalition partners.
Cholnan alleged that the budget allocations were made in a way that the budget bill was held hostage by coalition partners in exchange for Prayut staying in power.
Prayut said the central budget was normally increased during the process of vetting of the budget bill by a special House committee after the bill clears the first reading.
He cited the 2022 budget bill as an example. He said the bill proposed investment expenditure of THB620 billion, but the vetting trimmed it down to THB610 billion and that amount was sent to the central fund.
Prayut added that he could not approve central fund usage on his own, as it would have to be approved by the Cabinet in accordance with the real needs in provinces.
“The trimming of the proposed budget must be done in accordance with the needs in provinces. We don’t do it like someone in the past who announced that he would not allocate budgets to provinces that failed to elect his party’s candidates. [Before criticising me], please consider whether development projects are planned for all provinces or not,” Prayut said.
“Whether there is corruption or not, it must be proved in court. If you have evidence, sue me in court. You should also consider what happened in previous lawsuits and whether someone fled jail terms [to live in exile].”
Prayut walked out of the assembly hall after delivering his response.
Although he did not mention who his barbs were aimed at, it was clear that he was referring to Thaksin, the de facto leader of Pheu Thai.
Thaksin has been living in exile following a coup in 2006 that toppled his government. He was later convicted of corruption and sentenced to jail, but fled the country.
Thaksin’s quote that he would take special care of provinces that elected Thai Rak Thai MPs have often been cited by his opponents to attack him.
He made the remarks on October 31, 2005 when he was the prime minister and Thai Rak Thai leader. Seventeen years later it still haunts him.
Thaksin made the remarks while giving a speech at the auditorium of the Banphot Pitthayakhom School in Banphot Pisai district of Nakhon Sawan province when he handed over land lease documents to local people. The people were allowed to lease land of the Crown Property Bureau at a cheap rate under a Thai Rak Thai populist project.
“I’ll be straightforward. We must take special care of provinces that trusted us to take care of them. We must take care of people in the entire country but we have limited time, so we must give our time to provinces where we have received much trust,” Thaksin said.
His remarks came in the aftermath of Thai Rak Thai losing by-elections in two of three provinces. The winning Thai Rak Thai candidate in Sing Buri province secured a lower number of votes.
A Thailand-based pharmaceutical company focusing on women’s health has joined hands with the US Embassy in Bangkok, the Ministry of Public Health and Kenan Foundation Asia to promote “Smart Family Planning Policy” under the theme “Her Promise on Her Day”.
Organon Thailand will also partner with the Ministry of Public Health on family-planning and women’s health efforts. This collaboration aims to promote a healthier society in Thailand while recognising women as the foundation of healthy families and communities.
Koen C Kruijtbosch, managing director of Organon Thailand, said: “Throughout our one-year journey, Organon has always believed that women are key to creating a healthier world, and that providing a healthier future for women also immediately results in a healthier future for their families and communities. Hence, Organon would like to celebrate our first anniversary by expanding our collaboration with both public and private sectors to solve the unintended pregnancy and low birth rate problems, which are currently major challenges in Thai society.”
“With our expertise in reproductive health, Organon is ready to support health-related organisations. We strongly believe that our collaborations will help drive the success of Thailand’s Smart Family.”
Charge d’ Affaires of the US Embassy in Bangkok, Michael Heath, said in his speech: “We are proud of the work US companies like Organon do in Thailand. US companies are making investments to empower women, improve health, and bring new and innovative solutions to tackle challenges.”
“The ‘Smart Family Planning for Women’ project is just one example of the great work that can be done when government, private companies, and non-governmental organisations collaborate. I applaud the Ministry of Public Health’s initiatives to develop programmes that directly affect women’s health and that support women’s economic empowerment. Thailand does not stand alone in tackling these social and economic issues.”
The government sector is entering into collaborations to tackle the issue of Thailand’s falling birth rate that could lead to an aged society in the future.
Deputy Minister of Public Health Dr Satit Pitutecha said: “The current issue of Thailand’s low birth rate has directly contributed to the country’s declining population, leading to an aged society in the near future. Concurrently, Thailand is also coping with unintended teenage pregnancies and low-quality birth issues.”
“To address these concerns, the Ministry of Public Health has launched a policy to prevent unintended pregnancies among teenagers and promote quality births by establishing initiatives such as intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants at the NHSO [National Health Security Office] nationwide, as well as service fee support for safe pregnancy termination.
“The ministry is promoting a policy for women with infertility conditions, providing the right to those women to receive initial screening. We are pleased to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Organon by working with partners to promote Thai women’s health, in hopes of strengthening Thailand’s public health system and building a healthier society overall,” he said.
The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday ratified the election of Chadchart Sittipunt as the 17th governor of Bangkok, setting at ease public concerns over a delay in the endorsement.
The EC issued an announcement on its website that it had ratified the victory of Chadchart, making the independent candidate of the Progressive Group the official governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The EC meeting on Tuesday started at 1pm and two hours later, it was resolved to endorse Chadchart’s victory.
The EC endorsed five more city councillors on Tuesday after having ratified the victories of 40 councillors on Monday. The election of 50 Bangkok councillors was also held on May 22.
Earlier on Tuesday, it was reported that the 1444 hotline of the EC was flooded with the phone calls to check whether Chadchart’s victory has been ratified.
Callers reportedly flooded the hotline of the EC since Monday when it was initially expected that the election watchdog would ratify his victory.
Chadchart won a record mandate in the May 22 election, securing 1.386 million votes.
According to the Bangkok election committee, Chadchart faced two complaints from social activist Srisuwan Janya. The activist accused the governor-elect of breaking the election law by offering gifts to voters by designing election posters in such a way that they can be recycled into bags and aprons. Srisuwan also accused Chadchart of breaking the election law by attacking the bureaucracy in his campaign speeches.
Before the EC made the announcement endorsing Chardchart’s vitory, Srisuwan had come under heavy criticism from Thai netizens for his post on Tuesday morning ridiculing Bangkok voters who had voted for Chadchart.
“I heard that 1.38 million Bangkokians would cry like babies this afternoon. They will become like millipedes on a pile of ashes. I don’t know whether they will cheer or cry,” Srisuwan said in his Facebook post.
In the announcement, the EC said it had checked and found that it was reasonable to believe the Bangkok governor election was clean and fair so it had resolved to ratify Chadchart’s victory.
The EC explained the delay to the requirement under the law to primarily check whether there were frauds or violations of the election law.
As an independent candidate, Chadchart, who is often referred to as “The Hulk” or the “strongest minister on Earth” by his fans, is clearly popular among voters not just in Bangkok but also upcountry.
Several years ago, a photograph of a barefoot Chardchart carrying bags of food into a temple in Surin province went viral on social media. He said that he had gone for an early morning jog while in Surin for a mobile Cabinet meeting and decided to give alms to monks.
The local resident who snapped a picture of him, barefoot and in a T-shirt and shorts carrying bags of food, nicknamed him “The Hulk”. And the name has stuck.
Chadchart was transport minister in Yingluck Shinawatra’s government from October 27, 2012 to May 22, 2014, when her government was ousted by the military.
Chadchart has a long-standing connection with Bangkok because his father, Pol General Saneh Sittipunt, was once the Metropolitan Police chief.
The politician, who has an elder twin brother and an elder sister, completed his secondary education at Triam Udom Suksa School before doing a bachelor’s with honours in engineering at Chulalongkorn University. He later earned a master’s in business administration from the same university before heading to the world-famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to get a master’s in public works engineering (structure). He also completed a doctorate in public works engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Chadchart started his career as a structural engineer at a private company before becoming a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Engineering. He then became assistant rector of Chulalongkorn from 2005 to 2012.
As an academic, Chadchart also served as an adviser to the transport minister during Thaksin Shinawatra’s second tenure and then again during Samak Sundaravej’s government. However, he was not given a formal position.
Then in 2012, he was made deputy transport minister of the Yingluck government before rising to the post of transport minister in the same year.
Great triumphs
His recognised achievements include changes to the Bang Sue Grand Station’s blueprint to ensure it could accommodate high-speed trains, and changes to the Red Line electric train system so it had four routes instead of just three. He was also behind the purchase of eight rapid trains from CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co Ltd, as well as the overhaul of the railway system in the upper North of the country.
Chadchart also had senior Transport Ministry officials ride buses to work and report problems before he took a bus to work to get a first-hand experience of the problems faced by Bangkok commuters.
After the Yingluck government was toppled, he was appointed to the committee for drafting competitiveness strategies, but he quit the panel on October 2, 2017.
As transport minister, Chadchart was noticed for being down-to-earth. He liked taking motorcycle taxis or songtaew minibuses to work. He also often hopped on trains unannounced to check on them.
The election commission endorsed Chadchart Sittipunt as the capital’s new governor on Tuesday after two days of deliberations. The independent candidate won by a landslide.
The opposition leader Tuesday called on MPs to vote against the fiscal 2023 budget bill, so a change in government can be forced and the country’s future can improve.
On the first day of the televised budget bill debate, Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said he would not accept the budget bill and wanted to see it killed along with the government.
“And we’ll have a new government so people will be happy,” he said. “If the budget bill is rejected in the first reading, the prime minister can return happiness to the people. If you don’t believe me, just try it.”
Cholnan rose to speak after Prayut finished reading his speech in defence of the 3.185-trillion-baht budget bill.
The opposition leader began his speech with an ironic dig at the premier, saying Prayut should have spoken to the House instead of reading “every word” of the prepared speech.
Cholnan said the opposition paid special attention to the 2023 budget because it would be the last budget prepared by Prayut’s government before it completes its four-year term in March next year.
“But I believe there will be an incident that will force out the government sooner,” Cholnan said.
He said opposition MPs will spend the next three days proving why the budget bill cannot be accepted in principle and should not be passed in the first reading.
Cholnan said the government projects and planned spending do not correspond to the current economic crisis.
“If the opposition accepts the bill in principle, it would be tantamount to damaging the country,” he said.
The MP said the opposition has resolved to reject the bill because it can no longer trust the government to administer the budget as this administration “has lost legitimacy and cannot run anything”.
“The government lacks vision and is now just paying lip service and making excuses by blaming others for its mistakes,” Cholnan said.
The opposition leader said the budget bill would leave a legacy of debt for the future generations. He said public debt under the Prayut government had hit a record high and its failures have led to the highest household debt and non-performing loans in history.
He said the Prayut government is planting an economic timebomb and its soft-loan measures have failed, forcing some private firms to shut down.
“If we approve this budget for the government to use, it will be like destroying the country and hurting the people. If we want to overcome the crisis smoothly, then we must change the leader because the PM is at the centre of all national problems,” he said.
“If my fellow MPs believe we need to push for changes, please vote against the bill. We believe the prime minister is responsible enough to resign or dissolve the House once the bill is rejected,” he said.
Cholnan alleged that the budget allocations were made in a way that the budget bill was held hostage by coalition partners in exchange for Prayut staying in power.
Prayut added that he could not approve central fund usage on his own, as it would have to be approved by the Cabinet in accordance with the real needs in provinces.
Thaksin has been living in exile following a coup in 2006 that toppled his government. He was later convicted of corruption and sentenced to jail, but fled the country.
As an independent candidate, Chadchart, who is often referred to as “The Hulk” or the “strongest minister on Earth” by his fans, is clearly popular among voters not just in Bangkok but also upcountry.
The opposition leader said the budget bill would leave a legacy of debt for the future generations. He said public debt under the Prayut government had hit a record high and its failures have led to the highest household debt and non-performing loans in history.
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