Media could seek Constitutional Court ruling on regulatory law if it felt charter was being breache
Chief charter-drafter Meechai Ruchupan suggested on Monday that the media should bring the controversial media regulatory law before the Constitutional Court if it suspected that the law contradicted the recently promulgated Constitution.
After the law came into effect, the media could try complaining about it in the Constitutional Court, he said, adding that if the law were then found to be in contradiction with the charter, it could be invalidated.
The veteran drafter also said that the stipulations contained in any piece of legislation must be in accordance with the Kingdom’s supreme law.
Meechai added that in the current Constitution, it was set out that after deliberation in the legislative chamber, laws must be forwarded to the Constitutional Court to ensure their compatibility with the charter.
“Before seeking royal endorsement, there is a five-day period for the Lower and Upper Houses to consult the Constitutional Court to see whether or not the law is properly in line with the charter,” he explained.
His remarks came after the controversial media regulatory bill was endorsed by the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) on May 1.
The legislation is next subject to further implementation by the government, including possible legal enactment.
However, the draft law has met with fierce opposition from the media as it contains a proposal that at least two top-level officials sit on a proposed media professional council, as well as a requirement for a new accreditation and certification system for members of the media.
In a related development, General Thawatchai Samutsakorn, an NRSA member who argued during the bill’s deliberation in the National Legislative Assembly that members of the media who report irresponsibly should face capital punishment, has met with harsh criticism.
In response to a suggestion that he should go fight in the troubled deep South, the general said he had been fighting all his life and never hid behind his subordinates’ backs.
In regard to an observation that he owned several businesses, the NRSA member said he had set up them to help his subordinates earn better income in order to support their families.
Thawatchai also insisted he did not want to interfere with media affairs, and was only seeking to fulfill his duty.