Yingluck denies meddling in NBTC appointments
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday rejected accusations that her decision to delay seeking royal endorsement of the Senate's selection of the 11 members of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) amounted to political
Yingluck said the administration had no power to contest the selections. She said she decided to postpone seeking royal endorsement after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) agreed to investigate a complaint that the process of selecting the NBTC members was unlawful.
The prime minister denied that her government had instructed the DSI to investigate the complaint. She said the government would wait for advice from the Council of State - the administration's legal advisory agency - before seeking royal endorsement of the appointments.
Opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday warned against delaying the submission of the 11 NBTC appointees for royal approval. He said the DSI's agreeing to investigate the complaint over the selection process was insufficient grounds for the prime minister to postpone seeking royal endorsement.
Abhisit said Yingluck would be held responsible for any damage caused by the delay, adding that the 11 NBTC members might sue her.
The opposition would closely monitor the matter, as the NBTC members' task of regulating the telecom and broadcast sectors was an important one, he said.
