Thread: Thailand and the new coalition government

Srettha certainly not out of wood yet

Although he can continue to function as prime minister, Srettha Thavisin still has to be afraid. Very afraid.

He is fighting the biggest battle of his life on two fronts _ legally and politically.

Legally, it’s super scary, but the Constitutional Court gave him 15 days to answer charges so this front can be finished early.

Politically, trouble may last longer, but it’s frightening all the same, and he will have to keep looking over his shoulder because he cannot trust anybody.

It’s extreme worrisome legally because most analysts have pointed out that the ministerial appointment of Phichit Chuenban is not the kind of “political conspiracy” case that can be interpreted either way.

This one has established court records and unambiguous constitutional wordings that Srettha has to fight against.

In addition, the prime minister’s attempts to seek top legal opinions before and after the appointment can go against him.

Some may think Srettha was just wanting to be 100% sure, but others will argue that it shows he clearly knew there were going to be problems yet he went for it.

This is by no means similar to Prayut Chan-o-cha’s “eight-year reign” controversy, which involved slipperier constitutional language and ideological conflicts.

Srettha’s defenders have to deal with undisputed court records and clear-cut constitutional restrictions on ethical and legal qualities of ministerial nominees.

The Constitutional Court’s ruling allowing him to continue serving as prime minister during what must be a horrifying waiting period does not guarantee the Prayut-style escape.

Srettha has to consider this uncomfortable fact: Although Phichit has resigned, the charter court went ahead and accepted the case against the prime minister anyway.

“It doesn’t matter if there is anyone behind the petition,” said former PM’s Office minister Suranand Vejjajiva, who is known to be close to Pheu Thai, during a TV programme after the court ruling.

“It’s obvious that the prime minister was the real target, not Khun Phichit.”

One thing that should be taken into an analysis on Srettha’s future is how close the vote in favour of his continuity as prime minister was. The 5-4 divide should not give him a good night’s sleep when he learned about it.

The judges were not as split when it came to whether the court should accept the Pichit appointment case.

The 6-3 vote means the court’s majority thinks the petition against Srettha and Phichit deserves a further scrutiny. Again, it’s bad news for the prime minister.

Thaksin denies role in appointment of Phichit as PM’s Office minister

Paroled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has categorically refuted any suggestion that the appointment of Phichit Chuenban, his family’s lawyer, as PM’s Office Minister, was a setup to undermine Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

He claims to be just an old man who has no political position or power whatsoever, adding that his role is to give advice to those younger than him and to help the country as best he can.

He maintains that he wants Srettha to remain in office as long as possible, as some problems take a long time resolve.

The former prime minister said that the move by 40 senators to seek a Constitutional Court order to remove the prime minister, over his appointment of Phichit, may cause some problems, but will not result in the prime minister being removed.

He also denied a suggestion that he might retaliate against the 40 senators.

Regarding his recent talks with representatives of Myanmar’s anti-junta ethnic minority groups in Chiang Mai and his secret meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Phuket to discuss southern unrest, Thaksin said that these engagements were done in good faith to help, without ulterior motive or vested interest.

Myanmar, he said, is Thailand’s neighbour and an ASEAN member country, and the war in Myanmar will weaken ASEAN and cause suffering to people in Myanmar, forcing many to seek shelter on Thai soil.

Accompanied by his daughter Paetongtarn, also leader of Pheu Thai party, and his son, Panthongtae, Thaksin visited Nakhon Ratchasima today, to pay respects to his late driver, Wichai Changlek.

Upon his arrival at the airport, he was greeted by well-wishers, including Red Shirt followers in the province.

Thaksin said that he has not seen the city yet, but thinks it must have changed a lot, but he said the countryside remains unchanged, as most people are poor due to the sluggish economy.

Regarding the lèse majesté case against him, in which public prosecutors are expected to announce their next move on Wednesday, Thaksin said that, if necessary, he will go to the Attorney-General’s Office himself to hear the prosecutor’s decision.

He was indicted for lèse majesté by the former attorney-general back in 2016, while he was in self-imposed exile. On January 19th, police informed him of the lèse majesté charges, which he denied and then petitioned for justice with the Attorney-General’s Office.

Wissanu returns as advisor

Wissanu Krea-ngam, a deputy prime minister in the Prayut government, has agreed to serve as an advisor attached to the Secretariat of the Cabinet, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said today.

An order appointing Wissanu is being drafted and checked, Srettha told reporters. “I already met and invited Khun Wissanu to take the position. He is ready to do the job,” he added.

Wissanu, a veteran law expert, has served in many governments, including that of Thaksin Shinawatra. He stepped down as deputy prime minister in the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration last year, before the Srettha government took office. At that time, he had pledged to leave politics, citing his ill health, including diabetes and kidney disease, as well as his old age.

Srettha revealed Monday that he had consulted Wissanu regarding the Constitutional Court case, in which 40 senators are seeking to strip him of his ministerial status over his appointment of Phichit Chuenban as PM Office Minister.

The senators charge that the appointment breached the Constitution because Phichit was sentenced to six months in prison, without suspension, on a bribery conviction in the “snack box” scandal over a decade ago.

Phichit was known for having been the Shinawatra family’s lawyer and his appointment to the ministerial position was believed to been at the request of the family. Phichit, however, resigned shortly before the Constitutional Court agreed to consider the petition on May 23, therefore, only Srettha’s future is on the line.

Srettha today dismissed as groundless the claim that recruiting Wissanu to the team meant his government was lacking legal expertise, saying to wait and see the details of the appointment order.

Wissanu meawhile said today that his position as an advisor at the Office of the Secretariat of the Cabinet is not a political one and he is not required to declare his assets.

He admitted that Srettha had visited him at his residence on Saturday and they had discussed several issues, including the 40 senators’ move against the prime minister.

A top legal expert, Wissanu said that he is not the chief legal advisor in rebutting the senators’ case in the Constitutional Court, but the responsibility rests with former prime minister’s office Phichit Chuenban.

He also reiterated that he would not accept any political post in the government because of his poor health.

Wissanu denies his appointment has anything to do with Srettha’s case

Court rejects petition against Thaksin’s alleged domination of Pheu Thai

The Constitutional Court unanimously rejected a petition today, accusing the Pheu Thai party of allowing paroled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to dominate it and using the digital wallet scheme in its election campaign, in violation of §49 of the Constitution.

In the same petition, Decha Chairat also accused Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of concealing information from the public about the qualifications of Phichit Chuenban, when he appointment him a minister, despite the fact that he was unqualified.

In rejecting the petition, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the Pheu Thai party had exercised its rights or liberties to topple the constitutional monarchy, as stipulated in §49 of the charter.

The court also turned down another petition, filed by Thoranut Munsri, accusing the Election Commission of not performing its duties properly, by allowing the Move Forward party to use its policy to amend the lèse majesté law in its election campaign.

The court ruled that, since the petitioner did not clearly specify what action he expected the court to take, it decided to drop the petition.

Thaksin’s lese majeste case ‘may affect amnesty move in political cases’

Move Forward Party leader Chaithawat Tulathon on Thursday conceded that a lese majeste case against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra could affect the ongoing efforts to seek a general amnesty for political detainees and other lese majeste suspects.

Chaithawat was speaking to reporters after attending a meeting of a special House committee studying how to draft a bill to grant political amnesty.

Chaithawat said the meeting on Thursday did not focus on lese majeste cases or cases of violations of Article 112 of the Criminal Code.

He said the meeting instead discussed the mechanism to push for political amnesty.

“We must admit the fact that Thaksin would face an indictment for violation of Article 112 and that would affect the deliberation for amnesty for other Article 112 cases,” Chaithawat said.

The attempt by the Yingluck Shinawatra government to push for general amnesty in political cases, including for Thaksin, led to months-long street protests led by former Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban. The protests led to violence and confrontations between the two sides, and paved the way for the 2014 coup by then Army chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha.

“We didn’t discuss Thaksin’s case during the meeting but I think it would create more obstacles,” Chaithawat said.

The attorney-general has ordered Thaksin to be charged with violating Article 112 and the computer crimes act for his alleged remarks in an interview to a South Korea media back in 2015. Thaksin had allegedly claimed that the country’s privy councillors had supported the 2014 coup staged by General Prayut Chan-o-cha to oust the government of his sister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The attorney-general ordered Thaksin to report to public prosecutors on June 18 to be charged in court.

Chaithawat said he hoped Thaksin would be treated with the same standard as other Article 112 suspects.

But he was quick to add that he did not want to see Thaksin prosecuted using Article 112 and hoped that both Thaksin and other Article 112 suspects receive a fair trial and get the right to be released on bail during trial.

On the study by the ad hoc House panel to push for political amnesty, Chaithawat said the method for drafting the bill would go into the details, which would include the timeframe, the process, the method and criteria for those eligible for amnesty.

He said the details would be concluded on Friday after which the ad hoc House panel would meet every week until a final report was finalized and submitted to the House.

He said the report would be done in time for the next parliamentary session in July.

Thailand will go further than legalising same-sex marriage

In its effort to promote gender diversity, Thailand will not stop at legalising same-sex marriage, which it will later become effective this year, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin today.

“Thailand will continue to support gender diversity after successfully passing the marriage equality bill. We are looking forward to pushing for gender recognition and sex worker laws,” he said.

He was speaking at the start of Pride parades at the National Stadium. With him were Pheu Thai party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and other senior party members.

Srettha also mentioned equality regarding gender honorifics, allowing LGBTQ+ people to choose their titles on official documents. Srettha did not, however, provide details about sex worker legislation.

Visitors from around the world are celebrating Pride Month in Thailand this June. Events are scheduled to take place in several Thai destinations, as Thailand works to become a top “LGBTQ+ Friendly Destination.”

Bangkok Pride, starting today, will continue for a month and will include many LGBTQ+-related fora at various venues in Bangkok and other provinces.

Aiming for gender equality and the creation of an environment that nurtures diversity, Thailand is committed to empowering all citizens, regardless of age, gender, religion, nationality, or social status, and welcomes tourists from around the world, according to the government, according to government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke.

Chiang Mai is also celebrating Pride Month with parades, concerts and art exhibitions.

On Koh Samui, in Surat Thani, the “Pride Nation Samui International Festival”, on the theme of “Let’s Join PRIDEradise”, will take place between June 24and 29. A pride parade and music festival will take place on June 29on Chaweng Beach.

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Extra……

Study: Same-sex marriage in 20 years had no negative effects

Most Thais happy with govt’s performance after 6 months, survey finds

Up to 44.3% of poll respondents very happy with Srettha Thavisin’s administration, govt spokesman boasts

The National Statistical Office of Thailand (NSOT) has found in a recent opinion survey that most Thais are happy with the performance of the government after it has been running the country for six months, the government spokesman said.

In a joint press conference held with NSOT director general Dr Piyanuch Wuttisorn, government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said the survey by the NSOT found that up to 44.3% of the respondents were very happy with the performance of the government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin after six months in office.

Chai quoted Srettha as thanking the people for monitoring the work of his government and said he promised to improve the performance of his administration based on input from the opinion survey.

Piyanuch said the survey was carried out among 6,970 people nationwide from April 22 to May 15. It was held to mark the six months in office of the government. The respondents were at least 16 years old, she added.

Piyanuch said 83.9% of the respondents said they were monitoring the work of the government, mostly from the news on TV.

Asked to rate their satisfaction in the government’s performance in three levels – highest, middle and lowest – 44.3% picked the highest choice, followed by 39.6% middle and 14.1% lowest.

Asked to cite the government’s policies or projects they were happy with the most, 68.4% cited the universal health care programme, followed by debt moratorium for farmers (38.9%) and tourism stimulus measures (33.1%). Each respondent could give more than one answer.

Asked to rate their confidence in the government’s ability to solve major issues in three levels – highest, middle and lowest – 41.9% picked the highest choice and 39.6 the middle choice, with no one choosing the lowest.

When asked which issues they wanted the government to tackle urgently, 75.3% cited the rising prices of consumer goods and 46.6% said they wanted lower power bills. Each respondent could give more than one answer.

Thai govt misses revenue target over 7 months by 2.7%

Shortfall blamed on 20 billion baht losses monthly incurred by Excise Department over cut in fuel excise taxes

The government’s revenue in the first seven months of fiscal 2024 has missed the target by 39.1 billion baht or by 2.7%, the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) said.

Pornchai Thiraveja, FPO director-general, said on Monday that the government had collected 1.39 trillion baht in revenue from October 2023 to April 2024, which was below the target.

He said the biggest reason for missing the target was the Excise Department losing about 20 billion baht monthly to the reduction in excise taxes on diesel oil and petrol.

Pornchai said the top three revenue collection agencies are the Revenue Department, the Excise Department and the Customs Department, which made a combined revenue of 1.463 trillion baht in the first seven months of the fiscal year.

Their earnings were 2.4% or 35.498 billion baht below target.

The three departments’ takings in the first seven months of fiscal 2024 were:

· Revenue Department: 1.09 trillion baht, 9.598 billion above target
· Excise Department: 304.506 billion baht, 47.089 billion below target
· Customs Department: 68.683 billion baht, 1.993 billion above target.

Pornchai said 1.362 trillion baht had been deposited with the Finance Ministry during this period, versus the 1.769 trillion baht disbursed by government agencies.

Any amnesty bill for lese majeste offences must be applied selectively - Defence Minister

The proposed amnesty bill for lèse majesté offences will not be applied across the board, but selectively, Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang told the Thai media today.

He said that, in drafting the bill, the opinions of all stakeholders, including the military, will be considered, adding that parliament must heed the opinions of the majority of the people.

He hinted that there would have to be a process for the screening of offenders charged and/or convicted of lèse majesté, to determine whether they deserve amnesty.

The defence minister said that the Pheu Thai party, which is spearheading the bill, must proceed with great caution and must not repeat the mistake it made in 2013.

Then, Pheu Thai MP Worachai Hema and 39 other fellow MPs proposed an amnesty bill to exonerate all political offenders who had participated in rallies between 2006 and 2011, including protests by the “yellow-shirt” People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the “red-shirt” United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

The bill was interpreted by opponents of the Pheu Thai party, however, as being designed to clear former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of corruption charges and convictions. Protests ensued, leading to the dissolution of parliament by then prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Critics of the latest proposed bill question whether the Pheu Thai party’s motive is, again, to benefit paroled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, after prosecutors recently decided to indict him on lèse majesté charges.

The Move Forward party is supportive of the bill, but other coalition parties and the opposition Democrat party are against it.

PM ready to explain Wissanu’s appointment to Pheu Thai MPs

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said today that he is ready to explain, to Pheu Thai party members, his decision to appoint former Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam as his advisor, without an official position, salary or formal asset declaration.

The appointment of Wissanu, a deputy prime minister in the Prayut administration for about eight years, has reportedly caused some disquiet among MPs, who see the appointment of an outsider as bypassing the party’s legal experts.

The prime minister said Wissanu is now screening his rebuttal statement, to be submitted to the Constitutional Court on Monday in defence of the charge against him, by a group of 40 senators, that he appointed Phichit Chuenban as the PM Office minister despite his tainted record.

Phichit has already resigned.

The prime minister explained that he did not avoid Pheu Thai party meetings in order to avoid confronting his detractors over Wissanu’s appointment, adding that he will meet with the MPs when parliament reconvenes after the long recess.

He stressed that it is his duty to provide an explanation, if some party MPs are unhappy with his decisions, so they can work in harmony.

It was the prime minister’s decision to approach Wissanu and ask him to assist with some legal affairs. Initially, he offered Wissanu a deputy prime minister position. He declined but agreed to be an advisor, without an official position or government salary.

Yesterday, Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra tried to defuse the disquiet over Wissanu’s appointment during a meeting of party MPs at their headquarters.

Paetongtarn emphasised that Wissanu agreed to take the job with good and sincere intentions, had previously worked with the Thai Rak Thai-led government and is considered a person of high ability.

She asked the MPs to accept and understand him.

It is a good thing that the party has a capable person to work with, she said, adding that they must join hands and become united to move forward.

“If the prime minister could not stay, neither would coalition parties and the parliament,” she opined.

New savings lottery tickets could be launched next year

The Finance Ministry plans to launch a new digital lottery, aimed at encouraging people to start saving for their retirement.

According to Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul, the digital lottery tickets will be priced at 50 baht each and will be sold to members of the National Savings Fund and freelancers, in accordance with Section 40 of the Social Security Act, such as farmers, traders and independent employees.

Each can buy a maximum of 60 tickets, worth 3,000 baht, per month. The lottery will be drawn every Friday at 5pm.

The five first prizes are worth one million baht each. The 10,000 second prizes are each worth 1,000 baht.

The money used to buy the lottery tickets will be kept in the savings accounts of the buyers, whether they win a prize or not. It can be withdrawn when the buyers reach 60 years old.

The new lottery tickets are expected to be available next year.

Govt mulls ‘retirement lottery’ to promote saving habits for would-be seniors

Srettha says his explanation to charter court ready for submission

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Friday that he had signed the submission of his explanation to the Constitutional Court concerning the appointment of Phichit Chuenban as PM's Office Minister.

The deadline for the submission is June 10. Srettha said that he had signed the document on Thursday and that Wissanu Krea-ngam, the prime minister's adviser, along with all relevant parties, had discussed and reviewed the document.

Srettha declined to comment when asked how confident he was about the explanations he had provided, as the matter was sub-judice. However, he confirmed that the explanation had fully addressed the allegations, and the document could be submitted within the June 10 deadline.

The charter court has sought an explanation from Srettha after the judges voted 6-3 to accept a petition by 40 outgoing senators seeking the removal of the prime minister from his post for violation of ethics in the appointment of Phichit.

The petition sought a ruling from the court on the status of the PM due to the appointment of Phichit, who was deemed to lack the necessary qualifications. The court had asked for Srettha’s response within 15 days.