House to consider charter amendment drafts Thursday

Somsak Kiartsuranont, who is also the Parliament President ex-officio, said he believed the work would be completed in one day because the amendment involved only one article of the Constitution, Article 291.
The three amendment bills, as well as other drafts submitted separately by civic groups including the red shirts, all seek changes to Article 291 of the post-coup 2007 Constitution to pave the way for the setting up of a constitution drafting assembly. There are small differences between the three amendment drafts.
Somsak said yesterday he had assigned whips for the coalition, the opposition, and Senate to discuss the guidelines among themselves for joint deliberation by the Senate and House of Representatives. He said he did not think there would be confusion or conflict during the deliberation if everyone adhered to meeting regulations.
In regard to a move by the Ombudsman’s Office to appoint 10 law advisers to study strengths and weaknesses of the current charter, Somsak said he did not think it would affect the constitutional amendment. He said the drafting assembly would have to take any findings by the advisory panel into its consideration.
Meanwhile, Chart Thai Pattana leader Chumpol Silapa-archa informed the House Speaker in writing yesterday that he would present the party’s amendment draft before Parliament himself for deliberation on Thursday.
Chart Thai Pattana submitted its bill for charter changes last week.
Chumpol said yesterday although there were some problems involving efforts to amend the Constitution, he foresaw no serious conflicts. He pointed out that most political parties had identified problematic clauses that need to be amended, such as overlapping powers among the independent organisations.
“Chart Thai Pattana sticks to the principle that good things in the Constitution of 2007 should be retained,” said Chumpol, who is also the tourism and sport minister.
In a related development, Deputy Premier Chalerm Yoobamrung said yesterday he had completed drafting six articles of a bill on national reconciliation. Chalerm dismissed reports that he would disclose the content of the bill when addressing a gathering in the Northeast province of Udon Thani today.
“I don’t need to sound out people in the Northeast. It’s because 80 per cent of them agree to this [reconciliation bill],” he said, adding that reconciliation was part of the ruling Pheu Thai Party’s election campaign promises.
Chalerm denied he had met former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Beijing during his trip to China between February 15 and 17. “He did his work and I did my job. I did not meet him but I called him,” he said.