Senate continues to seek interim prime minister
The Senate is going ahead with the plan to appoint an interim prime minister, provided the current government is willing to step down. Senate President Surachai Liangboonlertchai will discuss this with acting Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan on Monday.
Peerasak Porchit (pictured), second deputy chairman, says the process of appointing an interim prime minister is 80 percent complete. If the government refuses to resign, the Senate will consider whether the constitution allows the Senate itself to appoint an interim prime minister.
According to Senate President Surachai, the Senate agrees that every effort must be made to bring about national reforms quickly to restore peace in the country. To realize those reforms, a prime minister and government with full powers are needed, according to Surachai.
Peerasak has invited elected senators to a meeting on Wednesday to discuss ways out of the political impasse. Previous talks involved only nominated senators. [Explanation: Most of the appointed senators are anti-government, the relationship of the elected senators is not entirely clear. They were only chosen last month.]
Peerasak's comments are in response to statements made by PDRC action leader Suthep Thaugsuban. He expressed disappointment on Friday that during an informal senate meeting that day, the decision to appoint an interim prime minister, which the PDRC had demanded, had not been taken. The PDRC has now threatened to appoint its own interim prime minister.
Peerasak says that actions of the protest movement should not be against the law. Suthep better wait for the Senate's decision. That's more legal than taking matters into your own hands.'
UDD
The UDD (red shirts) is staunchly against the appointment of an interim prime minister, because that would be contrary to the constitution, which prescribes that a caretaker cabinet remains in office until a new government has been formed after the elections. It has already threatened to protest if the current government is replaced by an interim prime minister and government.
Elections
Electoral Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said today that the July 20 election date previously agreed with the government is no longer feasible. The Electoral Council is now waiting for new consultations with acting Prime Minister Niwattumrong. On Thursday, consultations between the Electoral Council and Niwattumrong had to be abruptly broken off when the PDRC besieged the meeting location.
Small inconvenience
Pheu Thai spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard denies Suthep's claim that former Prime Minister Thaksin "bought" 35 senators at a cost of 200 million baht each. Suthep claimed that Friday on the PDRC action stage. Anusorn: 'He insults the senators and the people who elected them. Senators are not goods that can be bought over the phone.”
Peerasak claims to be unaware of Suthep's accusation; he does admit that a number of senators traveled to Singapore a few days ago to meet Thaksin. He doesn't know what they talked about.
Pheu Thai spokesman Nopporn Nopparit denies that senators have visited Thaksin. He challenges Peerasak to come up with evidence. He calls the claim that Thaksin bought senators an 'accusation of people who never got over Thaksin'.
Staking
The government unions are calling on their members to stop working from May 22 in protest against the 'Thaksin regime' and officials who behave like 'lacks'. The strike call is one of five agreements the State Enterprises Labor Relations Confederation has made with the PDRC today.
The confederation is also calling on government employees to join PDRC actions from May 19 to 21, erect disapproving signs and tie the flag to their company vehicles.
Secretary General Komsan Thongsiri says the confederation will refrain from cutting water and electricity from government buildings.
(Source: Website Bangkok Post, May 18, 2014)
A correction to the explanation:
” [Explanation: Most nominated senators are pro-government, the proportions of the elected senators are not entirely clear. They were only chosen last month.]”
The appointed senators are overwhelmingly against the government and the elected senators are more divided, so there was not the necessary majority to impeach Jingluck.
This was therefore left to the so-called independent bodies, after which the Senate is now taking over again and will soon appoint a prime minister who must implement reforms of, among other things, the electoral system, which will create a much greater certainty that the desired party will once again can win an election.
This will probably go down in history as Thailand's "sufficiency democracy".
@ Joop Pro government was clearly a typo. I have corrected. Impeachment of Yingluck is not yet on the agenda. That process will not begin until the National Anti-Corruption Commission has ruled on her allegedly negligent role as chairman of the National Rice Policy Committee.
Just a thought.
If the extremely wealthy Thai families (see the 2013 Forbes list) in the companies in which they have a majority interest, would have increased the wages of employees by 15% every year for the last 2 years (economic growth was higher), a number of would have introduced social measures (such as health insurance for their employees, continued payment of wages in case of illness, a reservation for a pension, scholarships for the children of the employees who want to go to university) then not many Thais would think about paying 500 baht ( and free food and drink; on 'final battle' days 2000 Baht is paid, probably through the same Thai companies) per day to sit on the floor with a red polo or a whistle around their neck.
And: the profits would not be that much less, the business and investment climate would not be so spoiled, the Thai would be much happier and the international image of Thai companies and their owners would not be so anti-socially bad.
With all the attention paid to all those allegations of bribery of senators (by whatever side...) if all that bribe money was paid by Thaksin in all the allegations of the last years, then I think billionaire Thaksin would now be sitting on the paving stones... as usual the kettle calls the pot because its bottom is black...!
They are all sick in the same bed …, only that Thaksin simply did NOT belong to the usual elite and they saw / see him as a threat .. because he got their work slaves on his side.
I think the TH of Thailand and the TH of THaksin will remain connected forever...even if it is remotely or through proxies
The feudal era is already crumbling everywhere, or starting with it.
Behind the well-known scenes, efforts are being made to arrest almost all red shirt leaders who have been free on bail since 2010 but who have violated the conditions thereof (by appearing on stages and inciting unrest). Work is also underway to arrest dozens of PDRC leaders so that the final battle will have to do without the 'army commanders'…….
The message from 5 minutes ago to arrest Jatuporn is one of them.