The Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand: Thailand's political opposition collected signatures Wednesday for an impeachment action against the foreign minister of an embattled government facing both damaging court cases and daily street protests.
Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said his Democrat Party was waiting only for the official copy of a Tuesday court ruling before starting the process to impeach Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama over his involvement in a dispute over territory and an ancient temple in Cambodia.
Some members of the Senate said they may seek to impeach the entire government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.
The moves follow a ruling Tuesday by the Constitutional Court that a joint communique Noppadon signed with Cambodia backing the application to register the Preah Vihear temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site was unconstitutional because the government failed to consult Parliament on the matter.
The opposition has used the long-standing temple issue, which invariably sparks nationalist sentiments, as a weapon against Samak's government.
Critics claim that the Samak government's endorsement of the communique undermined Thai claims to disputed territory around the temple.
Ong-art Klampaiboon, the Democrat Party spokesman, said signatures of party members were being collected and that an impeachment motion was being drafted.
Senator Kamnoon Sithisaman said colleagues in the upper house of Parliament are considering whether to include the entire government in an impeachment effort.
Samak's government last month survived a no-confidence motion when his coalition failed to break up, allowing him to retain his parliamentary majority. But the vote took place in the lower house, or House of Representatives, whereas the impeachment would carried out in the Senate, which is roughly evenly divided between pro- and anti-government members.
Pressure on the government, already reeling from daily street demonstrations, is almost certain to increase because of this week's court rulings and an impeachment motion could prove possible.
The government's woes were expected to mount as courts hand down verdicts in two other cases later Wednesday.
One charges Wattana Asavahame, chairman of a party in Samak's coalition government, with corruption over a water treatment project and the other will determine whether Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsup is to retain his job in face of charges that he failed to properly declare his wife's assets as required of cabinet ministers.
But Kuthep Saikrajang, spokesman for Samak's People's Power Party, remained confident that the six-party coalition, which commands a majority in Parliament, would weather the gathering political storm.
"Even though the government is facing some troubles in legal cases the coalition partners reassure us that they are sticking with the People's Power Party," he said.
The Supreme Court Tuesday ruled against a former speaker of the Parliament in a case of electoral fraud and banned him from politics for five years. The verdict could potentially lead to the dissolution of the People's Power Party.
The street demonstrators, led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, say Samak's government is merely a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a 2006 military coup but has returned to Thailand from exile to face a slew of court cases charging him with corruption and abuse of power.
Samak has denied the accusations and says the protesters are trying to undermine his democratically elected government.
The rulings Tuesday came as a series of legal cases against Thaksin appeared to be gaining momentum, with a ruling on one expected at the end of the month.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard the testimonies of the first witnesses in the trial of Thaksin and his wife on charges related to her purchase of Bangkok real estate during his time as Prime Minister.
On July 31, the court will rule on separate charges of tax evasion against his wife.
Thaksin was toppled following months of street protests led by the alliance.
Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said his Democrat Party was waiting only for the official copy of a Tuesday court ruling before starting the process to impeach Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama over his involvement in a dispute over territory and an ancient temple in Cambodia.
Some members of the Senate said they may seek to impeach the entire government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.
The moves follow a ruling Tuesday by the Constitutional Court that a joint communique Noppadon signed with Cambodia backing the application to register the Preah Vihear temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site was unconstitutional because the government failed to consult Parliament on the matter.
The opposition has used the long-standing temple issue, which invariably sparks nationalist sentiments, as a weapon against Samak's government.
Critics claim that the Samak government's endorsement of the communique undermined Thai claims to disputed territory around the temple.
Ong-art Klampaiboon, the Democrat Party spokesman, said signatures of party members were being collected and that an impeachment motion was being drafted.
Senator Kamnoon Sithisaman said colleagues in the upper house of Parliament are considering whether to include the entire government in an impeachment effort.
Samak's government last month survived a no-confidence motion when his coalition failed to break up, allowing him to retain his parliamentary majority. But the vote took place in the lower house, or House of Representatives, whereas the impeachment would carried out in the Senate, which is roughly evenly divided between pro- and anti-government members.
Pressure on the government, already reeling from daily street demonstrations, is almost certain to increase because of this week's court rulings and an impeachment motion could prove possible.
The government's woes were expected to mount as courts hand down verdicts in two other cases later Wednesday.
One charges Wattana Asavahame, chairman of a party in Samak's coalition government, with corruption over a water treatment project and the other will determine whether Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsup is to retain his job in face of charges that he failed to properly declare his wife's assets as required of cabinet ministers.
But Kuthep Saikrajang, spokesman for Samak's People's Power Party, remained confident that the six-party coalition, which commands a majority in Parliament, would weather the gathering political storm.
"Even though the government is facing some troubles in legal cases the coalition partners reassure us that they are sticking with the People's Power Party," he said.
The Supreme Court Tuesday ruled against a former speaker of the Parliament in a case of electoral fraud and banned him from politics for five years. The verdict could potentially lead to the dissolution of the People's Power Party.
The street demonstrators, led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, say Samak's government is merely a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a 2006 military coup but has returned to Thailand from exile to face a slew of court cases charging him with corruption and abuse of power.
Samak has denied the accusations and says the protesters are trying to undermine his democratically elected government.
The rulings Tuesday came as a series of legal cases against Thaksin appeared to be gaining momentum, with a ruling on one expected at the end of the month.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard the testimonies of the first witnesses in the trial of Thaksin and his wife on charges related to her purchase of Bangkok real estate during his time as Prime Minister.
On July 31, the court will rule on separate charges of tax evasion against his wife.
Thaksin was toppled following months of street protests led by the alliance.
5 comments:
OH , go ahead do what ever you want , or put that guy in jail SIAMES.
"Dr Surachart cautioned that it is virtually impossible to try to claim lost territory back."
Thais have too much shit in their head or what?!!!!!
WHAT MEANS TO CLAIM LOST TERRITORY BACK.
Let's clarify with these stupid thais and journalists of shiting Bangkok Post:
1. Preah Vihear has never been Thais territory.
2. Province of Battambang, Sisophon, Siem Reap and Preah Vihear was under Thais influence because the khmer governors under the khmer government suck thais dick on the pre-protectorate from France. They administered these province under khmer government so under khmer territories, but it is just that they liked to suck thais, while the Phnom Penh government (yes even on that period...) suck Vietnamese dick.
It was due to stupidity and ill governance of the fucking khmer king.
BE REMINDED that France did not give back the western province to Cambodia from the thais, but rather prevent the Thais thieves to colonize it!!!!! THe argument was: you want the western provinces of Cambodia? Well here our weapons and soldiers.... Then as thieves, thais just ran away.
Please note that when Cambodia sternghen its power in Battambang provinc, the khmer governor who behave as a king in the province fled to Thailand and his descent was the one who write thai constitution. So there is a khmer who write the thai constitution!
The matter of thais nationalism and to claim Angkor Wat and Preah Vihear was to create virtual patritism among that nation of thiefs against an external ennemy. It simple as tactict: to unit your soldiers, you mount a case against a black sheep where you put in it all the hatred so that everybody will recognize your leadership.
3. YES IMPOSSIBLE TO CLAIM LOST TERRITORY:
a. DO KHMER PEOPLE CLAIM THE SOUTH AND ESTERN REGION OF THAILAND THAT USED TO BELONG TO KHMER TERRITORIES?!!!!!!!!
b. DO MALAYSIA FEDERATION CLAIM THE SOUTH OF THAILAND THAT USED TO BE MALAYS TERRITORIES?
And the actual thai king and royal, why he does not say anything?!!!!!!!
Finally, other there and here locally, royalty is very useless...
It is because of such attitude that the two country get problem of misunderstanding. The two people are very similar, but because of personal interest and sefl power consideration, they make their people suffering and fight each other.
Thai nation of thieves, you must recognise and acknowledge the region history. Stop eating shit. And stop acting like shit. For the moment, the whole world is just laughing at you.
By the meanwhile, long live Hun Sen and his government and end to monarchy!!!
Don't forget to vote CPP in July!!
AH Stupid educated Thai? HAhasahas
The Thaicong news media need to stop spitting out all the garbage how they can still retain the ownership of Khmer Phrea Vihear temple!
There is no room for Thaicong speculation and interpretation on the issue of Khmer Phrea Vihear temple any longer!
The Thaicong news media need to shut the fuck up from now on otherwise the discussion of Khmer Phrea Vihear temple will go on indefinitely!
The Thaicong news media need to shut the fuck up from now on!
The Temple and land thieve must be boot out of Issan Province.
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