Thread: Move Forward the Opposition

• Businesses controlled by Thai military should return to people : Bencha

Parliament has agreed to establish a House standing committee, as proposed by the Move Forward party, to study the possibility of transferring businesses presently controlled by the military to the people.

The proposal was made by Bencha Saengchan, a Move Forward party-list MP, during the parliamentary session yesterday. She said that the billions of baht the military earns from its commercial interests, which currently go into military accounts, should be reassigned to benefit the country.

Without mentioning names, Bencha informed the chamber that several military generals have accumulated personal fortunes of up to Bt800 million during their time in military service. For a long time, the public has wondered about the generals’ sources of money during their time in the military.

A few days ago, a Defence Ministry spokesman said in an interview that the number of Thai generals has exceeded 2,000, with 700 of them having no clear service assignment. They are, however, being appointed to positions on the boards of state enterprises and public companies, which has earned them huge sums of money. Their service salaries are also a significant cost to the taxpayer, amounting to approximately Bt425 million per month, or a minimum of Bt5.1 billion per year.

Bencha claimed that there are plenty of sources of money and assets controlled by the military, including so-called Ratchaphatsadu or state owned land. The military controls almost 1.5 million hectares of such land, which is leased out for the construction of accommodation for its personnel.

Furthermore, the military has control over 150 petrol stations nationwide, 74 golf courses and other businesses, including radio and television stations and energy-related enterprises, which generate billions of baht in income for the military each year.

“The public has never been informed about the exact amount of income the military earns from such businesses. It is time to start studying the accounts and find ways to reassign the income to the country. Therefore, my party proposes the setting up of a House standing committee to study these matters,” she said.

• Thaksin also a victim of double standard, says Pita as he outlines six goals for Thailand

Former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat dismissed allegations on Friday that the opposition party did not appear to be serious about scrutinising a controversy regarding former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

“That’s untrue. Move Forward Party is doing our work straightforwardly,” he said.

Pita, the initial front-runner to become Thailand’s 30th prime minister, pointed out that Move Forward chief Chaithawat Tulathon, who is also serving as the opposition leader, recently made his interpellations about the matter in Parliament demanding an explanation from the government.

Chaithawat replaced Pita last September after being elected at a general meeting of the party. Pita, who is now chief adviser to the current Move Forward leader, had stepped down to pave the way for his successor to become the opposition leader amidst uncertainty over his status as a member of Parliament.

At that time, Pita was suspended by the Constitutional Court from performing his duties as an MP, pending a verdict in a case he was accused by the Election Commission of violating the Constitution by contesting last year’s general election while holding shares in a media company.

The charismatic politician has resumed his duties as an MP after the court on Wednesday cleared him in the case. The court found that Pita was holding 42,000 shares in iTV Plc, Thailand’s first independent broadcaster, when registering to contest the election but that the company was not operating as a media business at that time, as its broadcasting concession had been revoked by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat Office since 2007.

Pita said on Friday that Thaksin was a victim of political persecution and double standard. “But it does not mean the double standard of today can be used to negate the double standard of the past. It should not happen anyway. There should be the same standard,” he said.

Pita also said that to prevent political persecution and ensure fair political treatment, his party proposed a bill for general amnesty to those facing criminal cases of a political nature.

“This law aims to ensure equality and prevent Thailand from becoming a legal state of the privileged,” he added.

Thaksin returned to the country on August 22 after 15 years of self-imposed exile overseas. He was sent to the Bangkok Remand Prison to serve time for corruption cases stemming from his tenure as Thailand’s prime minister between February 2001 and September 2006.

Following his return, Thaksin got a royal pardon and his eight-year prison term was reduced to one year.

Less than 24 hours after his stay in prison, Thaksin was sent to the Police General Hospital for treatment of an unidentified illness. He has stayed at the hospital until today amidst claims that the ex-PM was enjoying “VIP treatment”.

Thaksin is regarded as the patriarch of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which is now led by his youngest daughter Paetongtarn.

His long stay outside prison has triggered criticism of double standard, as several inmates with serious health problems reportedly have not received similar treatment from relevant authorities.

Move Forward mentor Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit admitted for the first time in November that he had met with Thaksin in Hong Kong after Thailand’s general election in May last year. Thanathorn remarked that Pheu Thai was his “true friend” and that a future Thailand needed both Move Forward and Pheu Thai.

A tycoon-turned-politician, Thanathorn co-founded and led Move Forward’s predecessor, the now-defunct Future Forward Party, and he is believed to have retained his influence in the main opposition party.

Pita on Friday also unveiled Move Forward’s Strategic Roadmap outlining the party’s six goals to turn Thailand into a “complete democracy” through constitutional amendments, reforms of the military and the bureaucracy, decentralisation of power, and improved social welfare system, among others.

He said his party would propose 47 draft laws to help with the changes and get rid of any legal obstacles to the proposed reforms.

• Move Forward MP Rukchanok acquitted on defamation charge

The Bangkok North District Court acquitted Move Forward MP Rukchanok Srinork today on a defamation charge filed against her by two well-known TV hosts. The grounds for acquittal were that her criticism of the two journalists had been an honestly held opinion.

Kanok Ratwongsakul and Anchalee Paireerak, filed a defamation suit, claiming that Rukchanok had accused them of presenting fake news to the public, inciting hatred among members of the public during a protest on March 6, 2021. Each of them demanded Bt10 million in compensation from the Move Forward MP.

After the acquittal, Rukchanok told the media that she viewed the defamation charge as an attempt to prevent her from criticising the media, adding that the court’s verdict should serve as a precedent, that the media can be criticised by the public.

She expressed relief at her acquittal, adding that she has no intention of suing the TV hosts for compensation.

Meanwhile, Kanok told the media that he will appeal against the verdict.

• Move Forward MP denies involvement in extortion attempt

A Move Forward party MP has denied a suggestion that he was a part of a gang which tried to extort 1.5 million baht from the director-general of the Rice Department.

Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said in his Facebook post today that his name was mentioned in the Line chat between Yotwarit Chomklin, one of the three suspects charged with extortion, and a member of staff at the secretariat of the House committee following up on budget management, headed by Natthaphong.

Yotwarit, serial petitioner Srisuwan Janya and a former election candidate of United Thai Nation party, Phimnattha, were charged with trying to extort 1.5 million baht from Natthakit Khongthip, the director-general of the Rice Department, in exchange for dropping their planned exposure of alleged corruption in the department.

Natthaphong said that Srisuwan and Yotwarit lodged a complaint with his panel on December 2nd last year, seeking a check on the spending of the Department of Royal Rain-making and Agricultural Aviation, which has nothing to do with the Rice Department.

His said his name was mentioned as a person who could mediate in the alleged irregularity.

Natthaphong added, however, that the complaint has not been considered by his House panel yet, because he became suspicious as to why Yotwarit, a member of the United Thai Nation party, specifically wanted him or other Move Forward MPs to accept the complaint and why not the United Thai Nation MP in the panel.

Natthaphong said he is ready to cooperate with the authorities in their investigation of the extortion case.

Axe hangs over Thailand's reform movement as Move Forward faces judgment day

After witnessing its figurehead, Pita Limjaroenrat, cleared in his media shareholding case last week, the opposition-leading Move Forward Party will be keeping its fingers crossed as the Constitutional Court prepares to issue another verdict on Wednesday.

While the court has not been asked to decide whether the reformist party should be disbanded, Wednesday’s ruling could support subsequent legal efforts to dissolve Move Forward.

The case stems from a petition by lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn, who in July last year accused the party and its then-leader Pita of seeking to overthrow Thailand’s constitutional monarchy. Theerayut asked the Constitutional Court to issue an order putting an end to the alleged acts.

He claims that Move Forward’s policy to amend the lese majeste law violates Article 49 of the Constitution, which states that: “No person shall exercise rights or liberties to overthrow the democratic regime of government with the King as head of state.”

The clause also states that any person who learns of such an act can call on the attorney-general to request a Constitutional Court order to halt the infringement. If the attorney-general rejects or fails to act on the petition within 15 days, the petitioner can take the complaint directly to the Constitutional Court.

Theerayut took the matter to court after petitioning the attorney-general in May but getting no answer for 15 days.

Not seeking disbandment

The lawyer said recently that his petition does not demand Move Forward’s disbandment but simply asks the court to order Pita and his party to stop trying to change Article 112 of the Penal Code, better known as the lese majeste law. Theerayut claimed the party’s draft amendments would completely alter Article 112 and remove legal protections for the Thai monarchy, undermining the key institution. He described the move to amend the law as hostile to the monarchy.

He said that if Wednesday’s ruling went against the party, he expected to see another petition asking the court to disband Move Forward for undermining the monarchy. However, he had yet to decide on whether to file such a complaint himself, he added.

He said a precedent for the current case was set when the Constitutional Court ordered the Thai Raksa Chart Party’s dissolution for “putting the monarchy at risk” after it nominated Princess Ubolratana as its prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 election. By involving the King’s elder sister in politics for its advantage, the party had ignored a fundamental principle of constitutional monarchy, and its action was deemed “hostile to the democratic regime of government with the King as head of state”, the court said.

‘Three options for court’

Asst Prof Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, director of Thammasat University’s Law Centre, reckons there are three possible outcomes for the current case against Move Forward.

The first possibility is that the court dismisses the petition on grounds that the party’s policy to amend Article 112 does not amount to an attempt to overthrow the country’s constitutional monarchy.

Or it could rule that Move Forward’s policy is not a direct attempt to topple the constitutional monarchy, but could still order the party to cease such activities.

The third possibility is that the court finds the party guilty of attempting to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and orders it to be disbanded.

The academic said the third scenario was also the least likely since the petition had only asked the court to halt Move Forward’s campaign to amend the lese majeste law, and not to disband the party. Prinya views the second scenario as the most likely outcome.

‘Signs of faltering’

Move Forward seems to have toned down its campaign to reform the lese majeste law as “judgment day” approaches. Party mentor Piyabutr Saengkanokkul last week accused Move Forward of faltering in its commitment to change Article 112 ahead of Wednesday’s court verdict.

The law professor, a co-founder of Move Forward’s previous incarnation, Future Forward, said Pita, who is now chief advisor to party leader Chaithawat Tulathon, failed to mention Article 112 when he announced Move Forward’s plan for 47 draft laws to help transform Thailand into a “complete democracy” via constitutional amendments, reforms of the military and the bureaucracy, decentralization of power, and an upgraded social welfare system, among others.

Future Forward was dissolved by the Constitutional Court in February 2020 after judges ruled that it had violated rules on party donations.

Piyabutr has campaigned relentlessly for reform of the Thai monarchy and changes to Article 112, which carries a penalty of three to 15 years in prison for anyone found guilty of insulting the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent, or the Regent.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

the party had ignored a fundamental principle of constitutional monarchy, and its action was deemed “hostile to the democratic regime of government with the King as head of state”, the court said.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

“No person shall exercise rights or liberties to overthrow the democratic regime of government with the King as head of state.”

Hmmm democratic regime 5555555555555555555

More like the Chinky-Thai like to keep this legislation in place so they can use it to hide behind or quash any movement for general change in the farce they call their constitution

Originally Posted by malmomike77

Hmmm democratic regime 5555555555555555555

More like the Chinky-Thai like to keep this legislation in place so they can use it to hide behind or quash any movement for general change in the farce they call their constitution

The more that things appear to be changing, the more they stay the same.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

More like the Chinky-Thai like to keep this legislation in place so they can use it to hide behind or quash any movement for general change in the farce they call their constitution

This is Thailand

Originally Posted by S Landreth

While the court did not decide whether the reformist party should be disbanded, the ruling is likely to pave the way for subsequent legal efforts to have the party dissolved.

Originally Posted by Norton

The party will be disolved and it will be back to square 1 with new party name for next election. Real political change will only happen when folks are willing to die for change.

Another fully predictable move by the so called Thai Democracy.

• Petition seeking Move Forward dissolution ready

Petitioner Ruangkrai Leekitwattana says he is preparing to go to the Election Commission on Thursday to seek the dissolution of the Move Forward Party.

This CC court move was known and detailed 6 months ago by the pre-Move Forward party lot (who seem a lot smarter than the current lot), and they've been raising funds for a long time to start version 3.0...

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

This CC court move was known and detailed 6 months ago by the pre-Move Forward party lot (who seem a lot smarter than the current lot), and they've been raising funds for a long time to start version 3.0...

They will need it but until MF or their new name can figure a way to get the constitution changed it will be wasted money. There are many changes needed so seems to me avoid the LM change and focus on others such as how Senate is appointed.

• Ruangkrai asks EC to dissolve Move Forward

As anticipated, political petitioner Ruangkrai Leekitwattana lodged a petition with the Election Commission (EC) today, to seek the dissolution of the opposition Move Forward party. This follows the Constitutional Court’s decision yesterday that the party’s campaign to amend the lèse majesté law (Article 112 of the Criminal Code) constitutes an attempt to topple the constitutional monarchy.

Meanwhile, a similar petition was submitted to the EC by Thirayut Suwankhesorn, the lawyer who initiated the original petition to the Constitutional Court, which resulted to the ruling yesterday. In his petition, however, he only asked the court to stop the Move Forward party from undertaking activities related to amending the lèse majesté law.

Ruangkrai, a solo petitioner like Srisuwan Janya, claims that, based on the court’s ruling, the Move Forward party has violated Article 92 of the Political Parties Act which, on conviction, can result in the dissolution of the party and the withdrawal of the party executives’ right to contest elections.

He cited the case of the Thai Raksa Chart party, an offshoot of the Pheu Thai party, which was dissolved by the Constitutional Court for its nomination of Princess Ubolratana as its prime ministerial candidate. The party’s 14 executives were also banned from contesting elections for ten years.

A member of the Palang Pracharath party, Ruangkrai said that the court’s ruling is binding on the Election and National Anti-Corruption commissions and parliament and they are duty-bound to comply.

He also said that his next target, after the Move Forward party, will be the Pheu Thai party and others.

khun Ruangkrai claims, as one of his grounds for MFP dissolution, that their MPs lacked the required ethics by wanting to amend S112....strange that he never said anything about Captain "Flour Man" Thammanat's ethics. Oh, that's right, spending time in an Aussie jail for drugs is irrelevant and completely in line with Thai politicians' ethics.

• Activist seeks political ban on 44 Move Forward MPs

A staunch royalist and former advisor to the House committee on legal affairs, Sonthiya Sawasdee, told the media today that he will submit a petition to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) tomorrow. It will seek an investigation of the ethical conduct of 44 Move Forward MPs, for their approval of a bill to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.

He said that he opposed the registration of the Future Forward party, the predecessor of the Move Forward party, because its secretary-general, Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, entertained the idea of amending Article 112, but without success as the Election Commission accepted the registration.

Now that the Constitutional Court has ruled that the Move Forward party has attempted to undermine the monarchy with its campaign to amend the law, Sonthiya said that it is about time for all 44 MPs to be stripped of their right to contest elections for life.

Two anti-monarchy activists, Tantawan Tuatulanon and Orawan Phuphong, staged a mock performance at the offices of the Election Commission, with ropes tied to their hands and necks to protest against the Constitutional Court’s ruling, as Ruangkrai Leekitwattana was telling the Press about his petition.

They also displayed a poster which read “Do you think Article 112 should be amended or scrapped”.

The two activists said that they deserve to be “executed” for supporting amendment of the lèse majesté law. The two young women ended a 50-day hunger strike against the lèse majesté law in March last year.

• Opposition leader Move Forward backs Bhumjaithai’s plan to annul NCPO orders

Coalition partner Bhumjaithai Party has submitted a bill seeking to annul “undemocratic” orders issued by the 2014 coup makers that are in violation of basic human rights.

This move immediately won the support of opposition leader Move Forward Party, which said it had its own version of the bill too.

Saritpong Kiewkong, a Bhumjaithai MP from Krabi, told Parliament on Monday that he and other Bhumjaithai MPs backed a bill seeking to annul orders issued by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) that are deemed undemocratic and in violation of basic human rights.

Saritpong said the bill had been filed via the House of Representatives online platform on January 31, and they had come to Parliament on Monday to hand the paper version over to Areepen Uttarasin, secretary to House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha.

The NCPO, led by then-Army chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha, seized power by toppling the government of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra on May 22, 2014.

Saritpong said his group has studied all 240 orders issued by the NCPO and 71 had been turned into law, so they can only be annulled by enacting a bill.

He added that the bill submitted by his group has seven articles and needs to be passed urgently to guarantee people’s rights, including the right to assembly, now that the country is back to being a full democracy.

“We are not criticising the coup orders. We realise that some are still necessary, but most of them will keep foreign investors away,” he warned.

Meanwhile, Move Forward party-list MP Karoonpon Tienasuwan, who is also deputy party spokesman, said he believes the bill should go through smoothly if both the government and the opposition wanted to abrogate unfair orders that violate people’s rights.

Karoonpon said his party has drafted a similar bill that might differ slightly from Bhumjaithai’s bill. “But it’s a good sign that Thailand will have laws that match international standards,” he said.

__________

• Pita among protest leaders given suspended sentences for flash mob protest

Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and former Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat are among eight defendants given suspended jail terms by the Pathumwan District Court this morning, after they were found guilty of staging a flash mob protest close to a palace without prior permission back in 2019.

The other six defendants were Nuttaa Mahattana, Parit Chiwarak, Thanawat Wongchai, Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, Pannika Wanich and Pairatthachote Chantharakachorn.

All eight defendants were charged with multiple offences by public prosecutors, ranging from staging a protest without prior permission at the Pathumwan skywalk (within 150m of a palace), disrupting the operations and services of the BTS train system, creating inconvenience for others using the skywalk and using loud speakers without permission. The protest occurred on December 14th, 2019.

The court sentenced all the defendants to four months in prison and ordered them to pay a fine of 11,200 baht for the illegal use of loud speakers. The jail terms were suspended for two years.

• Move Forward to press ahead with amending Article 112 – but within limits imposed by court

The Move Forward Party has not abandoned its endeavor to have the lese majeste law amended but its spokesman admitted that it will have to work within the bounds set by the Constitutional Court which last week ruled that it constituted an attempt to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.

Speaking to Thai PBS World in an interview on Monday, Move Forward Spokesman Parit Wacharasindhu said the court ruling has far-reaching ramifications on Thailand’s democracy.

“I think what immediately struck us was that this ruling is not only going to have implications on the short-term fate of Move Forward Party and its MPs, but it might have a more sustained or long-term effect or set of implications on the status and health as well as direction of Thailand’s democracy and Thailand’s political system,” he said.

Parit refuted charges that the Move Forward’s advocacy for Article 112 to be amended was tantamount to an attempt to overthrow the country’s democratic system with the King as the head of state as ruled by the court.

“What we are trying to reiterate is that the action or the process of submitting a draft law would never, ever result in the overthrowing of the monarchy or the political system.

Because once MPs submit a certain draft bill, it will have to go through multiple stages along the way, whether in the House of Representatives, whether in the Upper House or the Senate, or even being checked by other organizations via constitutional means,” he said, referring to a bill MPs of his party unsuccessfully submitted to the House to amend Article 112 last year.

Parit insisted that his party will continue to push for changes in Article 112 of the criminal code but will take into consideration the restrictions imposed by the court ruling. Move Forward and critics of the article believe it has often been misused by people in power against their political opponents.

“I think what we saw as being a problem in the past we still see as a problem today. But, of course, we will have to press ahead within the bounds of what the Constitutional Court has ruled,” he said.

The court has ruled that all forms advocacy for outright abrogation of Article 112 are prohibited and amending it can be done only through legislative channel.

Parit said that before taking any additional steps, Move Forward will study in details the court ruling and opinion of each individual judge.

“Once we are clear on what is still possible or what that potential solution space looks like, then we will have as a second step an internal discussion amongst MPs in the party in terms of what we might contemplate pushing ahead,” he said.

Analysts believe that the unanimous court ruling has opened the door to a far bigger threat to the party’s survival. Petitions have already been filed with the Election Commission for it to ask the Constitutional Court to have the party disbanded.

The 44 Move Forward MPs who co-sponsored the draft bill to amend Article 112 are also facing the threat of a life-time political ban for alleged serious breaches of political ethics.

While declining to predict whether a dissolution of Move Forward would trigger a new round of political chaos, Parit insisted that Thailand needs to have effective parliamentary means to resolve differences and conflicts.

“If parliament cannot be an effective arena for settling differences of opinion and finding consensus among parties and people of different ideologies, then of course, people will have little choice but to go to extra-parliamentary means to voice their opinions and to push for changes,” he said.

While insisting the possibility of Move Forward being dissolved and its MPs disqualified is “still far from a foregone conclusion,” Parit said the party is prepared for any eventuality.

“Even if the worst-case scenario were to happen, the ideas and ideology that is behind Move Forward Party and bounds our members and supporters together will still be carried on through a new set of vehicles that will take it forward,” he said.

Parit said that despite the predicament Move Forward is facing as a result of its election platform, he believed that all political parties have the obligation to find solutions to what they see as problems facing the country.

“Each party may have different views on different problems. Some may see something as a problem, others may not see as a problem.

Or they may see the same problem but have different solutions to it. But political parties should not shy away from facing up to problems of this country and finding what they believe to be the best solution to that problem,” he said.

• Pita denies backing anti-monarchist despite securing her bail

Former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat insisted that he did not back the anti-monarchy activist who tried to interrupt a royal motorcade last week, even though he helped secure her bail.

He said on Saturday that the accused should always be presumed innocent, so they have the right to temporary release.

“Protection for the country’s VIPs is another matter. Expression of opinion is also a different matter. Don’t mix them up, or you will create a social division, which is not good for Thai society,” he said.

The popular politician came under pressure after a car chased the motorcade of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on a Bangkok expressway last Sunday. The unidentified driver had earlier honked continuously while the motorcade was passing.

When police officers blocked the car from joining the motorcade, anti-monarchy activist Tantawan Tuatulanon, who was the front-seat passenger, engaged in a heated argument with an on-duty police officer. She cited urgency and questioned the “preferential treatment” given to certain vehicles.

There have been calls on social media for Pita to take responsibility following the incident.

When asked about his standpoint on what happened, Pita said: “I am worried, but I understand.”

He said the matter should be dealt with carefully and the parties involved should try to find a solution together to improve the situation.

“As a politician and a Thai, I am worried about the country’s situation and the future of young people. I understand that many people are uncomfortable, worried, and want understanding. All parties should help ease the situation to prevent more rifts,” he said.

Pita also expressed concern about the clash in the heart of Bangkok between royalists and anti-monarchy activists on Saturday. “Both sides should calm down and all elements in society must work together to find a solution for this conflict,” he said.

Tantawan is also known as “Tawan Thaluwang”, taken from the name of her anti-monarchy group which has been active in recent years. The group’s name “Thaluwang” literally means “piercing through the palace”.

The 20-year-old activist had been arrested twice in 2022 for allegedly violating the lese majeste law and was released on bail.

In May 2022, she and eight other protesters were charged with trespassing, destroying public property, and obstructing officers at Bangkok’s Samranrat Police Station.

Pita managed to secure bail for Tantawan in May 2022 after she went on a hunger strike. At that time, the Criminal Court assigned Pita to be the young activist’s bail supervisor.

As Move Forward leader at the time, Pita was the front-runner to become Thailand’s 30th prime minister after his party won most MP seats in the general election last year. But he failed to secure majority support in Parliament in a joint meeting of the two Houses.

Parliamentarians who refused to vote for Pita, including many senators, said it was because Move Forward stuck by its plan to amend Article 112 of the Penal Code, which is also known as the lese majeste law. They argued that the amendments proposed by the reformist party would undermine the Thai monarchy and threaten the country’s security.

• Opposition leader warns of ‘dual premiership’ after Thaksin’s release

Opposition leader Chaithawat Tulathon on Thursday warned of a “dual premiership” in Thai politics after former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is released on parole next week.

He said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the ruling Pheu Thai Party should act carefully to prevent allegations of Thaksin’s intervention in their government.

“It will look like there are two prime ministers. If they do not act carefully, the government will see problems in running the country,” said Chaithawat, who heads the core opposition party Move Forward.

“My warning to the administration is that they must not allow a dual premiership to happen,” he said, adding that such a situation could “cause problems” for PM Srettha.

Chaithawat said that Thaksin has the right to make political comments after his release on parole – expected on February 18 – but doing so could make the Pheu Thai-led government uncomfortable.

“There will be confusion about who is the real prime minister and who has the final say. The government and Pheu Thai need to be careful about this,” the opposition leader said.

Thaksin, who is regarded as the patriarch of Pheu Thai, is believed to have retained his influence over the ruling party although he holds no executive post.

His youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the party’s current leader. She was nominated as one of its three prime ministerial candidates when Pheu Thai contested the general election in May last year.

Thaksin was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for corruption stemming from his 2001-2006 tenure as prime minister, which was cut short by a military coup. However, Thaksin received a royal pardon soon after his return to Thailand last year, which reduced the sentence to one year in jail.

He is expected to be released on parole on Sunday after serving at least one-third of his prison term, or six months, whichever is longer, according to the Corrections Department regulations on granting parole for inmates who are 70 and over or seriously ill.

The 74-year-old former premier flew back to Thailand on a private jet on August 22 ending 15 years of self-imposed exile overseas. Less than 24 hours after landing on Thai soil, he was sent from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital for treatment of unidentified health issues. He has reportedly been there ever since.

His long hospital stay has aroused suspicions about the seriousness of his illness while triggering allegations that he is enjoying VIP treatment from authorities. Some even suspect that Thaksin is no longer at the hospital.

Phumtham Wechayachai, a key Pheu Thai figure who serves as deputy premier and commerce minister, on Thursday dismissed speculation of Thaksin’s possible intervention in the government’s affairs.

He said the government would not specifically listen to Thaksin but is listening to all voices from the public, citing as an example the opinions over the government’s controversial digital wallet scheme.

“We try to listen to the opposing opinions as much as possible. The government is ready to listen to any comments directed at us,” he said.

When asked if Thaksin could offer advice to the government, Phumtham said that as an experienced person, the former prime minister could comment to benefit the country. “But don’t focus on the question of whether he will advise or set any agenda for the government,” he added.

In September last year, PM Srettha told a Bloomberg Television interviewer in New York that he would seek Thaksin’s advice after his release. Srettha later rejected media reports that he would appoint Thaksin as his adviser, saying that his remarks were interpreted incorrectly.

Phumtham on Thursday also brushed aside speculation that Thaksin’s release on parole could lead to the government’s first major Cabinet reshuffle.

The deputy premier said he had not heard of any plan to change the Cabinet lineup, adding that the prime minister has the power to do so when a serious problem arises in his government. “I haven’t heard the prime minister say anything about it,” Phumtham added.

Meanwhile, Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn said on Thursday that his family was waiting to welcome the ex-PM at Ban Chan Songla, a family mansion in Bangkok, when he is released this coming Sunday.

“Everybody will be there to welcome him,” Paetongtarn said, adding that Thaksin’s grandchildren were writing homecoming cards for him.

No other family members are expected to stay at the mansion along with Thaksin, as per the Corrections Department regulations.

• Move Forward seeks to revoke post-coup order on govt service selection

The opposition Move Forward Party is proposing a bill aiming to return powers over government service selection process to the local authority, abrogating an order issued by the 2014 coup leaders.

Imposed by National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) that took power after the 2014 coup that toppled Yingluck Shinawatra’s government, the order transferred the power to hold entrance examinations to the central committee to address corruption in the provincial government recruitment process.

The Move Forward-proposed bill, if enacted, would enable local authorities to hold entrance exams by themselves, which they are currently prohibited by the post-coup order, said Move Forward’s list-MP Woraphop Viriyaroj during Wednesday's House debate.

Woraphop believes that the bill would tackle corruption, which he said had remained rampant during the past six years.

He said the core problem was not the organiser of the exams, but rather the quality of the procedures. The process must be transparent, he said.

The lawmaker also pointed out that the NCPO’s order had resulted in employee shortage at local administrative organisations, because the exams are held twice a year instead of four times annually.

Besides the bill proposed by the largest opposition party, there are two being pushed by the Pheu Thai Party and one by the Democrat Party.

Other parties have also been attempting to revoke the NCPO’s orders; for example, the ruling coalition Bhumjaithai Party MP Saritpong Kiewkong, on Monday, submitted a bill to the President of the Parliament, proposing to repeal 71 laws promulgated by the coup leaders.

Saritpong said his group has studied all 240 orders issued by the NCPO, 71 of which had been turned into law, and found that they could only be abrogated by enacting a bill. He added that he believed the 240 orders were undemocratic and in violation of basic human rights. This move is backed by opposition parties.

• Opposition MPs grill govt over delays in digital wallet scheme

Opposition MPs criticised the delay in the government’s implementation of the digital wallet scheme. They were speaking after Thursday’s meeting of the Digital Wallet Committee, chaired by the prime minister.

Speaking to the press on Friday, Move Forward party-list MP Sirikanya Tansakul said that she was not surprised by the minimal progress reported by the committee.

On Thursday, the committee announced it was setting up a subcommittee to study the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s (NACC) guidelines for the handout scheme.

Sirikanya urged the government to be decisive regarding the scheme, adding that if there were further delays, the government could draw up temporary measures to alleviate the economic crisis the government has been warning of. Additionally, Sirikanya called on the government to release the entire NACC report for the public.

The two-time MP concluded that the chances of the digital wallet scheme going ahead were dimming, and that the government’s unclear stance on whether it was going to push ahead with the scheme was holding up the decision-making process of citizens and stakeholders.

The NACC report had highlighted its concerns about the scope for corruption through the digital wallet scheme. However, through its role as an independent body, it has no jurisdiction over enacting policy and is only able to give recommendations.

Meanwhile, Thai Sarng Thai MP Pariyet Ungkulkitti has called on the government to stop delaying the digital wallet scheme. Pariyet added that if the government was going to push through with the scheme, it merely needed to do so.

Pariyet added that the government’s narrative of an economic crisis is driving away foreign investors and scaring local consumers. Pariyet said he had never seen a national leader speak against their own economy for so long.

The government can issue an executive order to obtain funds for the handout. However, for such an order to be legal, the country would need to be in "crisis". Such an order was issued in the past by former PM Prayut Chan-o-cha during the coronavirus pandemic.