Barkar Nash (Page 1,126)

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)

Hashtags #Pita and #Constitutional Court shot to the top of Twitter trends on Wednesday after the charter court suspended the Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate from duty as an elected member of the House of Representatives.

The Constitutional Court unanimously voted to accept a petition from the Election Commission (EC) against the MFP leader over his shareholding in defunct media company iTV Plc for judicial review.

The court announced that Pita was suspended from duty as a party-list MP until the court delivers its ruling in the case. 

Mr Pita previously said he did not own the shares as he only inherited them from his father. The shares were listed under his name as he was the executor of his father’s estate. He had explained the matter to the poll agency before he was sworn in, he said. The shares had later been transferred to relatives.

The law prohibits shareholders in media firms from running for parliament. 

The suspension was announced 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  failed to secure the needed majority last Thursday. He was renominated on Wednesday.

The court’s decision fuelled a flurry of social media activity, with the hashtags #พิธา (Pita) and #ศาลรัฐธรรมนูญ (Constitutional Court) immediately becoming top trenders on Twitter. Many social media users commented on the issue.

Mr Pita, 42, whose party won the May 14 general election with 151 House seats, failed in his initial bid last Thursday to become prime minister, after he was unable to secure the required endorsement of more than half of the members of the two chambers of parliament. Many senators abstained.

After the voting last Thursday, the MPF submitted a proposal to parliament seeking to strip the military-appointed senators of their power to co-elect the prime minister.

A woman bursts into tears outside parliament on Wednesday after learning of the Constitutional Court’s ruling to suspend Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat from duty as an MP. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

A mother and her young son were killed and two other family members injured as they jumped in desperation from their burning five-storey home in Bangkok’s Yannawa district in the early hours of Wednesday.

The blaze at a housing estate on Soi Sathupradit 45 in Chong Nonsi area of Yannawa was first reported about 2am, said Pol Lt Col Krit Phetsimalai, investigation chief at Bang Phongphang.

When fire trucks and crews and rescuers rushed to the scene arrived the flames were raging through the five-storey townhome. The building housed a billboard advertising company on the ground floor with upper floors serving as a residential area.

Firefighters brought the fire under control about 30 minutes later. 

One woman was dead at the scene. Three other injured members of the family were rushed to a nearby hospital where one of them was later pronounced dead.

Police said six people lived in the building – Thotsaphon (whose surname was not given), 44, his wife, their 15-year-old son, their 10-year-old son, Mr Thotsaphon’s elder brother and his wife.

All were asleep when the fire began on the second floor and spread quickly to upper floors.  Mr Thotsaphon’s brother and his wife lived on the third floor. They awoke, ran from their room and shouted warnings for everyone to flee.

Mr Thotsaphon, his wife and children lived on the fourth floor. They headed down the stairs before he and his eldest son jumped from a second-floor window to the ground. His wife and the younger son jumped from the fourth floor as the fire was already spreading to the third floor as they tried to flee.

The mother was killed by the fall. Their 10-year-old son was grievously injured but still alive. Rescuers gave him CPR before sending him to Lerdsin Hospital. The boy died shortly after.

Forensic police were examining the scene to determine the cause of the fire.

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday morning suspended Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat from duty as an elected member of the House of Representatives.

The court made the announcement after accepting for consideration a complaint involving  Mr Pita’s inherited shareholding in defunct media company iTV Plc. 

The constitution prohibits parliamentarians from holding stock in a media organisation. Mr Pita has argued the 42,000 shares were part of his late father’s estate, which he managed as executor. He said title had since been transferred to relatives. 

The suspension does not prevent his being nominated as prime minister, which the joint sitting was also debating on Wednesday. 

The eight-party alliance seeking to form Thailand’s next government proposed Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat as their candidate for prime minister as the joint session of parliament began on Wednesday.

It is his second attempt to win the endorsement of the bicameral legislature after losing in his first attempt last Thursday.

Pheu Thai renominated Pita  to parliament at 9.38am.

The United Thai Nation Party immediately argued against it, citing parliamentary regulations prohibiting a failed motion being resubmitted at the same session.

Experts weigh in on possible scenarios

Academics have predicted how a new prime minister could be found and a new government formed ahead of Wednesday’s second prime ministerial vote in parliament.

Wanwichit Boonprong, a political science lecturer at Rangsit University, told the Bangkok Post the chances of Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat becoming the new prime minister had fallen ahead of the second round of voting.

“Ahead of the first round of voting on July 13, the chance was less than 50%, but now it is only 30%,” Mr Wanwichit said.

Mr Pita’s PM bid hangs in the balance due to several unfavourable factors, including a dispute over whether the motion regarding his renomination in parliament can be allowed while it remains to be seen whether the Constitutional Court will decide to accept for consideration a case involving his previous iTV shareholding and order his suspension.

If he still fails to secure sufficient support for his bid for the premiership in the second round of voting, he will no longer have any legitimacy to proceed with his bid for the prime minister role, Mr Wanwichit said.

He said if Srettha Thavisin, one of the Pheu Thai Party’s three prime ministerial candidates, is nominated for the role, he may receive more support from senators than Mr Pita.

“This probability is now 80%, but whether support from senators will be enough remains to be seen,” he said.

Another possibility is that the MFP will be forced into opposition as it cannot work with parties not part of its coalition under the MoU they all signed, he said.

“This probability is 50%, but it remains to be seen whether Mr Srettha will be able to control MPs from parties of the outgoing government [if the parties are approached to join a new coalition government led by Pheu Thai],” Mr Wanwichit said.

But he said he believed this could be a ploy to get Mr Srettha to form an alternative coalition with Palang Pracharath Party leader Prawit Wongsuwon becoming prime minister, though he put that possibility at only 25%.

Another scenario involves forming a minority government by seeking the support of renegade MPs from the MFP and Pheu Thai, Mr Wanwichit said.

“But I don’t think anyone will attempt that as such a government lacks legitimacy. Doing so will trigger political chaos. This possibility is less than 20%,” he said.

Olarn Thinbangtieo, a political science lecturer from Burapha University, told the Bangkok Post that Mr Pita has little chance of becoming prime minister in the second round of votes as most senators frown upon him. “The chance is only 30%,” he said.

As for Mr Srettha, he is likely to be nominated for prime minister, though senators will not vote for him if the MFP remains a coalition ally of Pheu Thai, he said.

One scenario is that an alternative coalition would be formed, sidelining the MFP after today’s vote, Mr Olarn said. If Mr Pita fails to secure support for his PM bid, Pheu Thai will have a justification to refuse to comply with the MoU they signed and free itself from the MFP-led coalition, he said.

But only if Pita fails in today’s PM vote

Pheu Thai is ready to form an alternative coalition excluding the Move Forward Party (MFP) and it will bring in parties from the outgoing government if MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat fails to secure enough support to become prime minister in parliament on Wednesday, according to Pheu Thai sources.

The sources said that Mr Pita, the MFP’s sole prime ministerial candidate, faces several hurdles to his PM bid, and he will still not be able to receive sufficient backing during the second round of voting today.

They said the first hurdle is that his critics, especially the 250 senators, will cite parliamentary meeting regulation No.41, which prohibits a motion that has been rejected by parliament from being resubmitted during the same session, to block his renomination.

If rejected, the PM vote will have to be rescheduled, and Pheu Thai will have a chance to nominate its own candidate, the sources said, adding Srettha Thavisin, one of the party’s three PM candidates, is expected to get the nod.

The sources went on to say there is not much chance of forming a new coalition government with the MFP because most senators have made it clear they will not support the party due to its stance on amending Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or the lese majeste law.

To overcome this hurdle, Pheu Thai will take the lead in forming the new government and exclude the MFP while trying to bring some parties from the outgoing government into the coalition, such as the Bhumjaithai, Palang Pracharath and Chartthaipattana parties, with a combined number of 300 or so MPs.

“This composition is most likely to happen, and it must be agreed upon [by the parties mentioned above] and approved by the senators before the next round of voting [if Mr Pita fails in his bid today],” the sources said.

“This is a major issue. Pheu Thai may have to take some flak, but we hope people will understand the situation,” they added.

“We cannot get everything, but we won’t lose everything.”

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, one of Pheu Thai’s three PM candidates, said on Tuesday the party will nominate Mr Srettha for the coveted role of prime minister if the joint parliamentary session rejects the nomination of Mr Pita on Wednesday.

“The Pheu Thai Party will nominate Mr Srettha Thavisin. This is clear,” said Ms Paetongtarn, the daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

According to Thaksin and Ms Paetongtarn, he is expected to return to Thailand soon after years in exile, despite the spectre of legal action.

Ms Paetongtarn said that before nominating Mr Srettha, Pheu Thai would fully support Mr Pita for prime minister.

If parliament rejects his bid, Pheu Thai will nominate Mr Srettha, she said.

Mr Pita failed to get the needed majority vote during a joint sitting of the House and the Senate on July 13.

The eight prospective coalition allies resolved on Monday to renominate Mr Pita on Wednesday, although critics say this process cannot continue indefinitely.

Ms Paetongtarn said she supported Mr Srettha because of his knowledge of business and economics. Mr Srettha is a former president of real estate developer Sansiri Plc.

“The focus is on when we can form the new government. It is in the public interest because the nation must move forward,” she said. “The focus is on what we can do to develop the nation, to build up the confidence of international investors.”

Reporters asked her about one senator’s promise to support Pheu Thai if it excludes MFP from its coalition. Ms Paetongtarn said the eight parties would discuss the matter.

“Please let party executives have their discussions. The issue is very sensitive,” she said.

Responding to reporters’ questions, Ms Paetongtarn said she had not thought about whether she would have a ministerial portfolio in the new government.

She said later that her father has decided to postpone his homecoming until the political situation becomes more stable and the vote to select the nation’s 30th prime minister has concluded.

Thaksin said earlier he wanted to return before his birthday on July 26.

Raid on motel room caught on camera

Kalasin: A police investigation has been launched into an allegation that five policemen in this northeastern province abducted a woman, falsely accused her of drug possession and extorted 50,000 baht from her in exchange for her release.

Pol Maj Gen Phuttiphong Musikul, deputy commander of Provincial Police Region 4, said on Tuesday the incident occurred in an area under the jurisdiction of Muang police station in Kalasin, and the station commander has reported it to the regional police office.

The allegation was backed up by a video taken surreptitiously with a mobile phone, confirmed Pol Maj Gen Phuttiphong. All five men in the video are officers attached to various units in Kalasin province. A fact-finding investigation has been launched to look into disciplinary and criminal action against the men.

“If the allegations are confirmed, they will be punished,” Pol Maj Gen Phuttiphong said.

The probe was launched after the woman posted on the Khaosan Palanchai Facebook page seeking help, and TV Channel 8 then sent a news team to interview her.

The woman, whose name was withheld, alleged that five men arrived at the resort in Muang district where she was staying alone around 6.20pm on July 4. The men claimed to be members of a police task force in Kalasin. They searched her room but found nothing illegal but did find 20,000 baht in cash. They then took her from the room and asked her to point at some white tissue paper left under a tree outside the room, but she refused, the woman said.

She was then forcibly taken to their vehicle, and they drove around Muang district. On the way, they tried to persuade her to confess that she owned the tissue paper containing illicit drugs. She said that she refused. The woman said the five men demanded 50,000 baht in exchange for her release.

She said she was afraid of being falsely charged with drug offences, so she contacted her younger brother and borrowed 30,000 baht from him, which she then gave to the men along with the 20,000 baht they had seized from her room.

She had managed to video what happened during the police raid on her room without them noticing.

Pol Lt Gen Yanyong Vejosot, chief of Provincial Police Region 4, ordered Kalasin police chief Pol Maj Gen Suwan Chiewnawinthawat to explain the incident after the video was aired on TV news.

A trip by former army chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong, and chief of the Thai defence forces, Gen Chalermpol Srisawat, to a Malaysian island on May 5-7 was about peace efforts in the deep South and had nothing to do with national politics, a source said yesterday.

The visit took place a week before the May 14 general election but did not have any political implications, and it had nothing to do with a so-called secret deal to form a coalition government, the source said. The source added the pair did not meet a former prime minister, believed to be Thaksin Shinawatra, as suggested by some reports circulating in social media.

“There’s an attempt to link the visit to politics. There are rumours about Gen Apirat, but he chooses to stay silent,” the source said. “That he keeps quiet doesn’t mean there are grounds to those rumours.”

Instead, the source said that Gen Apirat and Gen Chalermpol were part of a delegation to Langkawi island to meet key insurgent members to support peace initiatives in the southernmost provinces.