Democrats urge House adjournment to allow all sides to cool down
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The opposition whips on Tuesday circulated a statement calling for the government to issue a decree for House adjournment, saying time was needed to cool off from the fracas over the reconciliation bill.
Democrat MP Pirapan Salirathavibhaga lodged the statement at Government House on the whips' behalf.
“The political crisis has intensified due to the conflict over reconciliation, which is actually about granting amnesty," Pirapan said.
He reminded the government that unless the House was adjourned, the situation could spiral out of control, which may lead to unforeseen consequences.
If possible, the Cabinet should seek the royal endorsement on the draft decree for House adjournment by today, he said.
In the statement, the whips said it became evident that the rush to debate the amnesty in connection with the political strife had ended up inflaming the social divisions.
The bill also triggered unprecedented animosity in the House. Should the government decide to push for the passage of the bill at this juncture, this might trigger political violence. Therefore the House recess should take effect immediately in order to guarantee the postponement of the debate on amnesty.
PM's deputy secretary general Prasit Chaiviratana said the government urged the opposing sides to resolve their differences through talks.
The House recess will take time to take effect because of the backlog of legislative agendas, such as the deliberations on international agreements as per Article 190 of the Constitution, he said.
