Chief coalition whip allays fear 'reconciliation' bills will be debated
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The chief coalition whip Monday set out to allay opponents' fears that the four national reconciliation bills would be deliberated, saying the bills would be indefinitely put on hold.
Pheu Thai MP Udomdej Ratanasathien said if the House finished deliberating the 10 bills put on top of the House agenda, the coalition would not proceed to deliberate the reconciliation bills.
He said there were several other bills pending deliberation so they would be moved up the agenda after the 10 bills are passed.
He said there were bills seeking to amend the antimoney laundering law and antiterrorism law that the Justice Ministry wants to be passed urgently.
He said the deliberations of the pending bills would take months so it was impossible for the coalition to proceed with the deliberations of the reconciliation bills.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy has threatened to hold a rally in front of Parliament if the coalition proceeds with the deliberation of the bills, which are seen as attempts to whitewash legal cases against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Udomdej said coalition whips were asked to explain to their party and their supporters that the coalition would not deliberate the reconciliation bills for now.
On the charter amendments, Udomdej said the joint working committee of the coalition would meet on August 7 to discuss the framework of amendments. The meeting would be held at the Pheu Thai with 11 representatives of the party.
