Barkar Nash (Page 1,125)

The Move Forward Party (MFP) will renominate its leader Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister even though a majority of both House representatives and senators rejected the renomination on Wednesday, according to its deputy leader.

Nutthawut Buaprathum, also a list-MP, told the House on Thursday that the MFP believed Mr Pita’s qualification as a prime ministerial candidate remained intact, while pointing out that parliamentary regulation no. 41 permitted the resubmission of a failed motion if a new factor was introduced. This provision could be applied to Mr Pita’s renomination, he said.

Mr Nutthawut made the statement after Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, former leader of the Prachachat Party, scheduled the next round of the prime ministerial vote by the joint sitting of the House and the Senate on Thursday next week (July 27).

The second round of voting took place on Wednesday when the parliament rejected Mr Pita’s renomination. That day, the Constitutional Court also suspended Mr Pita from duty as an elected member of the House of Representatives.

The MFP deputy leader said Mr Pita remained innocent despite the charter court accepting a petition from the Election Commission (EC) seeking a judicial ruling on his eligibility for political office over his former shareholding in defunct media company iTV Plc. 

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said on Thursday that his party would continue to team up with the MFP in their efforts to form the next government. The Pheu Thai leader said he agreed that the regulation no. 41 opened the door to Mr Pita’s renomination.

Pheu Thai was waiting for Move Forward to convene a meeting to discuss their prime ministerial nomination since the MFP led their eight-party coalition alliance, Dr Cholnan said. The MFP won the May 14 general election with 151 House seats and Pheu Thai was the first runner-up with 141 seats.

Whether Pheu Thai would nominate its own prime ministerial candidate in the next joint sitting would depend on the meeting of the coalition allies, which might take place within Friday, he said.

Regarding the rejection of Mr Pita’s nomination on Wednesday, Pheu Thai was concerned that its prime ministerial candidate could be easily disqualified if they failed to win a majority vote from the joint sitting, Dr Cholnan said. Pheu Thai has three prime ministerial candidates, including Srettha Thavisin, Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Chaikasem Nitisiri.

He referred to the parliamentary regulation that prohibited the resubmission of a failed motion within the same parliamentary session period.

Dr Cholnan insisted that Pheu Thai had not considered teaming up with other parties outside the eight-party alliance.

Pita loses bid for new vote on PM job

The Pheu Thai Party has emerged in pole position to form a new government after parliament on Wednesday rejected a bid to renominate Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat for a prime ministerial vote, citing a parliamentary meeting regulation.

After more than seven hours of debate on whether Regulation No.41 could be enforced against Mr Pita’s renomination, a majority of a joint sitting of MPs and senators voted in favour of the regulation.

The regulation prohibits a motion that has been rejected by parliament from being resubmitted during the same session.

They argued an earlier motion regarding his PM nomination was already rejected by parliament on July 13 when Mr Pita failed to get the needed majority vote in the first round.

In light of this, Pheu Thai has emerged as a front-runner in forming a government, and all eyes are now on whether the party will remain an ally of the MFP under the MoU they signed or whether it will seek to form an alternative coalition by bringing in parties in the outgoing government and exclude the MFP, according to observers.

The Bhumjaithai, Palang Pracharath and Chartthaipattana parties, which are part of the outgoing government, oppose the MFP’s plan to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law.

They have made it clear they will not join any government if the MFP is part of it.

After the meeting, Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said: “At this moment, Pheu Thai still joins hands with the other coalition allies. Whether the MoU will be revised, I can’t give details yet because the eight coalition allies must discuss the matter first. We will also discuss whether more parties will be brought in.”

Dr Cholnan also said that House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has scheduled the next round of a prime ministerial vote for next Thursday.

Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday reiterated the party’s stance against any attempt to amend Section 112.

“If Pheu Thai becomes the leader in forming a government, but the coalition still includes the MFP, which plans to amend Section 112, I won’t join it. I don’t want a minority government either,” Mr Anutin said.

Chartthaipattana leader Varawut Silpa-archa also said the party will not do business with the MFP as long as it still insists on amending Section 112. Asked whether the party would join a new coalition led by Pheu Thai, Mr Varawut said it was premature to discuss the matter.

A source at Pheu Thai said the party should be given a chance to nominate its own PM candidate for the next round of voting after Mr Pita’s renomination was rejected.

The source said Pheu Thai has now gathered enough support from Bhumjaithai, the PPRP and Chartthaipattana, with a combined number of 282 MPs to form a stable government. Most of the 250 senators, who are known to have close ties with PPRP leader Prawit Wongsuwon, are also expected to back a PM candidate nominated by Pheu Thai, the source said.

“The MFP will not be forced out of a new coalition [led by Pheu Thai], but we will let it think for itself whether it should be part of the coalition as this will only lead to an impasse,” the source said.

More than 10,000 rai of agricultural land located near a potash mine in Nakhon Ratchasima has been contaminated with sodium chloride and potassium chloride, according to an analysis by the Synchrotron Light Research Institute (SLRI).

The mine was operated by Thai Kali Co, which holds a 25-year concession that expires in 2040.

The concession covers about 9,000 rai of land across the tambons of Nong Bua Takiat, Nong Sai, and Non Muang Pattana in Dan Khun Thot district.

In June, about 150 farmers staged a protest saying their farms had been affected by wastewater discharged from the mine.

They said this has contaminated the area’s natural water sources and made the area’s soil too salty for the cultivation and production of rice and other key crops.

Villagers petitioned Governor Sayam Sirimongkol on June 27, demanding the closure of the mine.

The protest prompted a halt of mining operations at the site, pending an inspection by state agencies.

The director of the Office of Environment and Pollution Control 11 (OEPC11), Thanachai Wansuk, said on Wednesday the soil samples they sent to the SLRI showed excessive amounts of sodium chloride and potassium chloride.

The results of the analysis will be sent to the governor, who will form a working team to calculate the damage done to the area’s farmlands in order that fair compensation can be worked out, Mr Thananchai said.

Supakorn Rakmai, director of the SLRI’s light transport utilisation and operation department, said that in addition to excessive sodium chloride and potassium chloride, the SLRI found trace amounts of heavy metals.

Mongkutwattana Hospital director, Maj Gen Dr Rianthong Nanna, was on Wednesday handed a suspended prison term and ordered to pay a 200,000-baht fine in a defamation case filed against him by Sira Jenjaka, a former Palang Pracharath Party MP for Bangkok.

The Criminal Court suspended the two-year prison term because it considered the doctor to be a person who normally performed good deeds and contributed to the betterment of society, according to the ruling.

The 200,000-baht fine was ordered to be paid with interest of 7.5% per year.

On May 7, 2021, Maj Gen Dr Rianthong posted a message on his Facebook account accusing Mr Sira, who at the time represented Lak Si district office, of obstructing the work of a field hospital for Covid-19 patients.

The message, which was set as a public post and could be seen by anyone, contained vulgar words and described Mr Sira as a badly behaved politician, the ruling said.

Dr Rianthong’s Facebook account has a large number of followers.

The doctor could have simply warned Mr Sira in person not to obstruct medical staff treating Covid-19 patients at the hospital, but instead posted comments on Facebook which damaged Mr Sira’s reputation, according to the ruling. Mr Sira was visiting the field hospital because he had received a complaint from a patient, the court was told.

Mr Sira was a member of the House committee on justice and humanitarian issues, while Dr Rianthong is a well-known public figure.

Dr Rianthong, who was accompanied by his lawyer, pled not guilty.

Move Forward Party (MFP) leader and list-MP Pita Limjaroenrat was forced to leave the joint sitting of MPs and senators yesterday afternoon shortly after the Constitutional Court suspended him as an MP pending its ruling on his media share-holding case.

Mr Pita, attending the meeting as the sole candidate for the second round of voting for the prime minister’s post, rose to address lawmakers at 2.44pm about the court order.

“The court has issued an order suspending me from performing my duties. I’d like to inform the House speaker that I’ve acknowledged the order and will comply with it until a final decision.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to say farewell to the House speaker. Until we meet again,” he said.

Mr Pita said the country had changed since the May 14 general election, from which his party emerged the largest with 151 MPs.

He said the people had won half the battle. He called on MPs to fulfil their roles and answer people’s needs.

The MFP leader left his MP card on his seat, waved to the MPs and shook hands with some before leaving the chamber. Shortly before 2pm he posted on his Instagram that he was unlikely to win the second round.

“It is clear that under the current system gaining people’s trust isn’t enough to run the country, and [we] need approval from the Senate.

“And it’s possible that we don’t have enough [support] to be renominated,” he wrote.

The Constitutional Court order suspending Mr Pita was reportedly accepted by the secretariat of the House at 1.38pm.

Hundreds vow to keep fighting to bring real democracy to the country

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Democracy Monument on Wednesday night to vent their anger over the end of Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid to become prime minister.

The largely peaceful rally followed a dramatic day in parliament, where Mr Pita lost his MP status after the Constitutional Court ordered him suspended pending a ruling. After he left the chamber, lawmakers voted not to allow him to be nominated for prime minister a second time.

Some of the crowds that had rallied near parliament earlier in the day made their way to Democracy Monument at around 5pm. They were joined by others who wrapped a large cloth banner reading “Prime Minister Pita of People’s Consensus” around the monument.

Somyos Pruksakasemsuk, leader of the June 24 Democracy Movement, took the stage to open the rally by urging demonstrators to throw the full weight of their support behind Mr Pita.

He criticised dictators and feudal attitudes for destroying the rights and liberties of people. People’s hopes of seeing the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties — with 25 million votes between them — forming a government had faded away.

Now, Move Forward was probably being forced to sit in the opposition camp, said Mr Somyos.

The Constitutional Court, he said, had become a mechanism to kill governments that came from democracy. However, those who staged coups walked free.

“From now on, we have to keep fighting in all forms — to knock on doors of senators’ houses or ring the bells at their houses to remind them to give their gratitude to the motherland by turning over a new leaf,” he said.

“The battle will not be about the Move Forward Party, but it is about people who cast their ballots in the (May 14) general election. We must join hands to take steps against the so-called independent organisations and ‘invisible hands’. The battle across the country starts today at Democracy Monument.”

As the evening wore on, crowds occupied more of the streets around the monument. Speakers on the stage railed against the behaviour of the junta-appointed senators who blocked Mr Pita’s candidacy, and at the Constitutional Court’s suspension order.

Human rights lawyer Anon Nampa and other pro-democracy activists urged the demonstrators to be witnesses to ensure that the Pheu Thai Party, which will now attempt to form a government, must not betray people by joining with other parties now in opposition.

Participants also performed a mock funeral for the unelected senators, complete with a coffin and cremation.

The protesters read a statement that outlined three demands: for the senators to resign, the eight parties in the coalition to stick together tightly, and for the coalition not to abandon the policy proposals promised to the people.

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday morning suspended the MFP leader from duty as an elected member of the House over his shareholding in the defunct media company iTV Plc.

The suspension was announced as the elected House and the appointed Senate were sitting in joint session to elect the country’s 30th prime minister.

With the failure to even call a vote on Wednesday, the next session to choose a prime minister has been scheduled for July 27.

A banner is wrapped around Democracy Monument during a protest on Wednesday evening following the rejection by parliament of an attempt to nominate Pita Limjaroenrat a second time for prime minister. (Photo: AFP)

The joint House and Senate sitting voted to reject the renomination of Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister because a parliamentary regulation bans it, Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said.

Mr Wan made the announcement after 715 parliamentarians voted electronically about 5.10pm on Wednesday. The parliament president called the vote after a lengthy debate on the issue, which started shortly after the meeting opened at 9.30am.

In the joint sitting, 395 parliamentarians voted against Mr Pita’s renomination, 312 voted to support it, eight abstained and one did not exercise the right to vote.

Mr Wan said the rejection was by majority vote, because half the votes in the joint sitting was 374. The number was adjusted after Mr Pita was suspended from duty as an MP by the Constitutional Court earlier in the day.

Before the vote, parliamentarians spent hours disputing whether the renomination was allowed or not. 

Opponents said parliamentary session regulation No.49 prohibited the resubmission of a failed motion to the parliament during the same parliamentary session. They said Mr Pita’s nomination had been rejected last week and there was no new development that could justify its resubmission.

Pro-Pita parliamentarians emphasised that the regulation applied to general motions and not to the prime ministerial nomination. They said that it was a nomination, not a motion. They also said that parliamentarians should respect the choice made by the voters at the May 14 general election.

Mr Pita’s Move Forward Party won the election with 151 House seats. Recently he said he would make way for the Pheu Thai Party to nominate a prime minister if his bid failed.

Pheu Thai won 141 House seats and the two parties are the key members of the eight-party coalition.

Mr Pita warned on Tuesday that a vote to block his renomination would set a risky precedent for parliamant. Now, whoever is nominated for prime minister will have to be assured of majority support because he or she will not get a second try.

Kannavee Suebsang, the Fair Party’s secretary-general and only MP, exhorted Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat not to give up and to eventually return to parliament with grace.

Mr Kannavee on Wednesday posted his message on his Facebook page, giving his moral support to the MFP leader after the Constitutional Court suspended Mr Pita from duty as an elected member of the House of Representatives.

“Elegance in Thai politics is the act of respecting the public’s vote and adhering to the law under true democracy. 

“Don’t give in to obstacles that prevent the nation from freeing itself of the shackles that have held up the country’s democracy, 

“Don’t stop because rules and regulations have been created to favour authoritarianism and that put a halt to the development of the country, which is truly owned by the people.

“I offer encouragement to Pita Limjaroenrat. Suspension from duty is just temporary, then come back gracefully. People still want a true democracy,’’  said Mr Kannavee, whose party is one of the eight coalition allies led by the MFP.

His message was posted after the charter court temporaily suspended the MFP leader, party-list MP and candidate for prime minister from his duties as an MP. 

The Constitutional Court accepted a petition from the Election Commission (EC) seeking a judicial ruling on the MFP leader’s eligibility for political office over his former shareholding in defunct media company iTV Plc.

The suspension order was issued as the elected House and the appointed Senate were sitting in joint session on Wednesday to elect the country’s 30th prime minister. It was the second round of voting after Mr Pita, whose party won the most seats in the May 14 general election, 151, failed to secure the required majority last Thursday.

The 42-year-old MFP leader was re-nominated on Wednesday amid opposition from the military-appointed senators and MPs outside the eight-party alliance. 

A man holds a paper poster with a message “Senators, do not vote against the people’s consensus”. He and other supporters of the Move Forward Party gathered at the main gate of parliament on Wednesday following the Constitutional Court’s ruling suspending MFP leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat from duty as an MP.  (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)