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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.