ID :
160455
Sat, 02/12/2011 - 08:54
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Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/160455
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Thai Government seeks King's approval of amended Charter
BANGKOK, Feb 12 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is to seek His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's approval, in a royal command, of amended sections of Thailand's 2007 Constitution within 20 days after the rewritten sections were endorsed by a joint session of the country's Lower and Upper Houses on Friday (Feb 11).
Thailand's joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate first passed the third and final reading of a draft bill on the amendment of Article 190, a key section of the Kingdom's 2007 Constitution, by the majority vote of 397:19 with 10 abstentions.
The amended section 190 requires the Thai Parliament's approval of the signing of any contract or legislation which will affect the Thai territory or any overseas territory under the sovereignty or control of Thailand according to any international agreement or laws. It also applies to any contract or legislation which will have widespread impacts on the economic and social security of the country or will result in any significant commitments on trade, investment or budgets of the nation.
The amendment also requires the Thai Parliament to work out an organic law to set criteria for the international agreements and legislation which are subject to Article 190 with the organic law to be promulgated within a year after the amendment is published in the Royal Gazette.
The joint Thai parliamentary session then passed the final reading of another draft bill on the amendment of Articles 93-98, also key sections of the Kingdom's 2007 Constitution, by the majority vote of 347:37 with 42 abstentions.
The amended Articles 93-98 require a total of 500 MPs in the Thai House, 375 seats of which are to be filled by single-MP constituencies and the remaining 125 are to be appointed under the party-list system. They have been changed from the existing Article 93-98—which require the Thai House to have 480 MPs, 400 of them are to be elected in constituencies with one to three MPs each and the remaining 80 are to be appointed under the party-list system.
However, the vote on both of the Thai Charter amendment bills was made without the presence of any MP of the opposition Puea Thai Party--who all boycotted and staged a walk-out--leaving only government MPs and senators to vote. The Puea Thai MPs walked out after Thai Parliament President Chai Chidchob, who is also the House Speaker, ruled that parliamentary deliberations of the Charter amendment bill in its first and second reading was not against regulation No. 86 as claimed by the opposition.
Bangkok's Constitutional Court will later rule whether the Charter amendment process is legally valid--as petitioned by the opposition Puea Thai Party. (TNA)
Thailand's joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate first passed the third and final reading of a draft bill on the amendment of Article 190, a key section of the Kingdom's 2007 Constitution, by the majority vote of 397:19 with 10 abstentions.
The amended section 190 requires the Thai Parliament's approval of the signing of any contract or legislation which will affect the Thai territory or any overseas territory under the sovereignty or control of Thailand according to any international agreement or laws. It also applies to any contract or legislation which will have widespread impacts on the economic and social security of the country or will result in any significant commitments on trade, investment or budgets of the nation.
The amendment also requires the Thai Parliament to work out an organic law to set criteria for the international agreements and legislation which are subject to Article 190 with the organic law to be promulgated within a year after the amendment is published in the Royal Gazette.
The joint Thai parliamentary session then passed the final reading of another draft bill on the amendment of Articles 93-98, also key sections of the Kingdom's 2007 Constitution, by the majority vote of 347:37 with 42 abstentions.
The amended Articles 93-98 require a total of 500 MPs in the Thai House, 375 seats of which are to be filled by single-MP constituencies and the remaining 125 are to be appointed under the party-list system. They have been changed from the existing Article 93-98—which require the Thai House to have 480 MPs, 400 of them are to be elected in constituencies with one to three MPs each and the remaining 80 are to be appointed under the party-list system.
However, the vote on both of the Thai Charter amendment bills was made without the presence of any MP of the opposition Puea Thai Party--who all boycotted and staged a walk-out--leaving only government MPs and senators to vote. The Puea Thai MPs walked out after Thai Parliament President Chai Chidchob, who is also the House Speaker, ruled that parliamentary deliberations of the Charter amendment bill in its first and second reading was not against regulation No. 86 as claimed by the opposition.
Bangkok's Constitutional Court will later rule whether the Charter amendment process is legally valid--as petitioned by the opposition Puea Thai Party. (TNA)
