Wednesday, August 17, 2011

PM: Charter change not for Thaksin

Aug 17, 2011
Bangkok Post

Any constitutional amendments will be based on the people’s opinions and will not be tailored to benefit her elder brother, fugitive former prime minister Thaksin, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Wednesday.

The youngest sister of Thaksin insisted that she had never said that the charter changes must be completed in three months time, as was reported by some media.

“In principle, I want to hear what people think about the amendments. I want people’s participation and decisions in this matter,” she said. How to go about it rests with the House of Representatives.

Asked about Thaksin’s plan to visit Cambodia this weekend before going to Japan, Ms Yingluck said her brother is going to there to discuss energy business on his own, not on behalf of the Thai government.

House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont said there are some points in the constitution that need to be changed.

In principle, constitutional amendment is the responsibility of all Thai people, who should make the decision on whether it should be altered.

Mr Somsak insisted that the proposed charter changes have nothing to do with the issue of amnesty, but its effect on any particular individuals or groups is another story.

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