Democrats seek to block changes
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Petition urges dissolution of 6 parties, claims MPs aiming to overthrow constitutional monarchy system
The Democrat Party joined the anti-charter amendment bandwagon yesterday by getting its legal experts to file a petition in the Constitutional Court seeking to block changes to Article 68.
In the petition filed by Wirat Kalayasiri, the Democrat Party asked the court to dissolve six political parties, accusing their MPs of trying to overthrow the country’s constitutional monarchy system by trying to amend Article 68.
The six political parties are Pheu Thai, Chart Thai Pattana, Chart Pattana, Palang Chon, Mahachon and New Democracy parties.
The petition referred to an earlier Constitutional Court ruling that people could invoke Article 68 to protect the country’s constitutional monarchy by submitting petitions to the court directly.
However, the planned amendments to Article 68 require people to submit petitions only through the Office of the Attorney-General.
Consequently, the petition says, the amendments supported by 312 MPs and senators should be regarded as an effort to undermine the constitutional monarchy and hence the parties these MPs come from should be dissolved.
The petition also called on the Constitutional Court to issue an injunction to suspend the ongoing amendment process until the court issues a ruling.
Yesterday, it was not only the opponents of the amendments who went to court, but also a group of supporters who filed a petition asking the court to reject all anti-amendment calls.
Retired police officer Pol Colonel Banchob Sudjai and members of his club set up to protect law and justice asked the court to reject all anti-amendment petitions submitted by Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn and others.
Court to consider petitions
The Constitutional Court is scheduled to meet this morning to consider the petition on whether the MPs and senators’ attempt to change Articles 68 and 237 was constitutional or not.
It has been asked to see if the parliamentarians sponsoring the charter change violated the Constitution.
The four petitions include those filed by senators Somchai and Somjate Boonthanom as well as that filed by the yellow shirts on Monday.
Meanwhile, Banchob’s petition said Article 68 was being amended under the provisions of Article 291. It added that the anti-amendment petitions had failed to establish how amending Article 68 would overthrow the constitutional monarchy.
Speaking to reporters later, Banchob said Somchai should have expressed his opinion or sought to change the amendment bill during the deliberation process instead of filing a petition with the Constitutional Court.
Chart Thai Pattana Party’s de facto leader Banharn Silapa-archa said his party should not be subject to dissolution as it was the MPs’ individual decision to support the charter change.
