Thai opposition Party submits impeachment, censure motions against PM
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Opposition Puea Thai Party on Monday submitted impeachment motion to remove the PM and other three ministers from the office as well as censure motion aiming to allow holding of no-confidence debate against the PM and five ministers.
According to Bangkok Post online, Chief opposition whip Wittaya Buranasiri on Monday morning submitted the impeachment motion, signed by 159 opposition Puea Thai MPs, to the Senate Speaker Prasobsuk Boondej in seeking for removal from the office of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban, Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul, and Transport Minister Sophon Zarum for alleged malpractice under Article 270 of the constitution.
Another separated motion, signed by 184 Puea Thai MPs, was filed to House Speaker Chai Chidchob in the afternoon with its aim to hold censure debate against Prime Minister Abhisit, Suthep, Chavarat, Sophon, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya under Article 159 of the constitution.
The opposition party MPs claimed that no-confidence debate is necessary currently because they want to point out the government' s malfeasance during the political unrest, which the deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankhiri said on Monday may cost Thailand 150 billion baht (about 4.6 billion U.S. dollars).
However, due to lacking of sufficient evidence, Korn and Kasit are not on the list of impeachment motion, chief of opposition whip Prasobsuk said.
According to the House Speaker Chai Chidchob, parliament will take less than 7 days to consider the censure motion before the government would be asked to schedule the date of censure debate.
The Deputy Prime Minister Suthep said the government was ready for the censure debate and would fix the dates if asked but it should be held after consideration of the 2011 Budget Bill which was initially fixed between May 24 and 27 during extraordinary parliament session.
Thailand's anti-government "red-shirts"protesters have paralyzed the downtown Ratchaprasong area in Bangkok, the economic center of the country for more than a month before being dispersed by troops mid May.
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