Opposition seeks special Parliament session for debate on Thailand’s drugs plague

Leaders of opposition parties met on Monday virtually to discuss the issue of seeking a special Parliamentary session to discuss Thailand’s drug problems. The Parliament is in recess now.

Before starting, Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew asked the participants to observe a minute’s silence in memory of the Nong Bua Lamphu victims.

The opposition leaders then discussed Thailand’s scourge of drugs, which they said requires urgent attention, and agreed to submit a motion for the special session with Parliament President Chuan Leekpai.

The leaders said the number of opposition MPs may be enough to meet the quorum of a third of the members of both chambers, or 243 lawmakers, to submit the request for an extraordinary session.

Cholnan also told other parties that Pheu Thai had sent a statement to the Constitutional Court to defend draft organic laws that seek to amend the MP election and political party act.

Small parties want the court to find the two bills unconstitutional, but Pheu Thai does not believe the two bills contravene any article of the charter, Cholnan said.