FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Ex-minister calls on court to lift ban on travel

Ex-minister calls on court to lift ban on travel

Wattana Muangsuk, former social development and human security minister, filed a court petition Thursday asking that an order prohibiting him from travelling overseas without permission be lifted.

He wants the Central Administrative Court to revoke the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s order No 21 issued on May 23 last year, which bans 155 people – including him – from leaving the country. 
He claimed the order was illegal, discriminatory, violated human rights as well as the provisional charter. He said the ban was politically motivated and that the NCPO wanted to use it as a bargaining tool.
 Wattana explained that he had sought permission from the NCPO on June 22 for the right to travel to Singapore on July 17 to check out educational institutions for his offspring. 
However, his request was rejected on grounds that he had made critical comments against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and was told to seek permission again after September 18. 
Wattana went on to say that he had no plans to participate in former premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s birthday celebrations on July 26, adding that he was not asking for an urgent hearing but an injunction on the order. 
The court has yet to decide whether it will accept the petition. 
 
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