FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Pheu Thai to seek court ruling on impeachments

Pheu Thai to seek court ruling on impeachments

The Pheu Thai Party will ask the Constitutional Court to rule on whether the National Legislative Assembly has the authority to impeach politicians.

Amnuay Klangpha, a former Pheu Thai MP, yesterday said he would make the request because the previous constitution had been scrapped and there was no provisional in the provisional constitution empowering the NLA to impeach political office holders unless they were NLA themselves.
He cited the Constitutional Court’s recent decision to dismiss former senator and current NLA member Somchai Sawangkarn’s attempt to have him and other Pheu Thai members under the defunct 2007 Constitution, and said the court should consider the impeachment case according to the new interim charter.
Amnuay insisted that the 2007 Constitution was no longer valid, and impeachment cases must proceed according to the law and not members’ prejudices.
He said the disclosure of NLA members’ assets was not necessary due to 2007 Constitution being defunct.
He said NLA members were appointed by National Council for Peace and Order, which was formed under the 2014 Constitution and they should focus more on solving people’s problems.
Asked to comment on Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, who had a hand in writing the impeachment law in the provisional constitution, he said: “I believed Wissanu is often trusted when it is about the law … if he said the 2007 Constitution was defunct he cannot twist his words later. 
“Right now we should make the best out of 2014 interim charter.”
NLA President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai has arranged the two meetings on Thursday and Friday to examine seven elements of the drafts.
These include the agricultural land reform, cruelty against animals, and animal disease bills.
The latest development came as the Organisation of Free Thais for Human Rights and Democracy made a request with the Inter-Parliament Union, stating that the NLA lacks the democratic ideology to be a member of the union. 
NPA Vice President Peerasak Porchit said he was not concern about the move as the NLA had a very good relationship with the union and associate members.
“I am confident that this request made by FTHD will not affect the co-ordinations between Thailand and other countries. We were accepted by the union and they are aware of our situation,” Peerasak said.
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