Military opposed to 'crisis council'
Senior military officers participating in the junta-sponsored seminar on the constitution draft yesterday opposed a provision on convening a panel of 11 organisations to tackle any unresolved crisis.
"The provision on the crisis panel seems to have too many disadvantages. It should be cut because unresolved issues can be sorted out by democratic means via the normal political channels," Colonel Paritas Trikalnont said.Paritas said seminar participants voiced support for the appointment of the prime minister from among MPs and suggested some changes of the wording to clarify a cap for the PM to serve no more than eight years, equivalent to two terms. Colonel Nopadol Saengpolsith said the seminar had "no objection" to Buddhism being enshrined as the state religion in the new constitution. Colonel Chaiwit Chayapinan said charter drafters should revise the wording to make it clear that the state must uphold the monarchy and the country's independence and sovereignty. The desired wording had once been inserted in the 1979 Constitution but was omitted by subsequent charters, he said. He also voiced support for a draft provision, Section 299, to continue to sanction the immunity granted by the 2006 Interim Constitution to agencies involved in the seizure of power. The three-day seminar ended yesterday in the seaside resort of Cha-am. Its report will be submitted to the Council for National Security for review before being forwarded to the Constitution Drafting Assembly as the junta's critique of the draft.
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