Constitution 'overrides old coup law'
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is continuing its fight against the Department of Special Investigation's effort to criminally probe its extension of the Skytrain contract, with a query to the Interior Ministry to state clearly whether many laws p
The BMA inquiry, to be sent on behalf of incumbent Sukhumbhand Paribatra, cites a mandate in the 2007 Constitution that authorises local authorities like the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to provide service to the public.
Assawat Abhaiwongse, an adviser to the BMA who submitted the written inquiry to BMA chiefs, said the Constitution was the country’s supreme law and that it overrides the 1972 coup-enabled regulation cited by the DSI, which said a rail-based commuter service could only be approved by an Interior minister.
Assawat, also a personal aide to deputy governor Theerachon Manomaiphiboon, said the DSI had clung unfairly to a draconian rule in its replies to the ministry, without citing the Constitution. His note cites many regulations and laws to support its stance on the charter overriding all other laws.
