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Published on April 22, 2008

Samatcha Hoonsara,

Hassaya Chartmontri

The Nation

Government whips agreed yesterday to seek extensive amendments to the Constitution, with the changes to be modelled on the 1997 charter.

The coalition parties will propose a motion for amendment by the end of this month and the charter rewrite is expected to be completed by September, said Samart Kaewmeechai, secretary to the government whips coordination committee.

Samart said that after Parliament accepts the amendment motion for deliberation, a committee will be set up consisting of about 60 members to deal with the amendment.

The panel will include MPs, senators, academics and representatives from non-governmental organisations.

The panel will be established by Parliament before the current parliamentary session ends on May 19, he said. The Parliament reconvenes in August and the amendment draft is likely to pass the final reading in September, he added.

Samart insisted the coalition's amendment bid had nothing to do with the electoral fraud cases against three of its partners, which could lead to party dissolution if found guilty by the Constitution Court.

He said the whips yesterday resolved to reject a proposal that a Constitution drafting committee be set up to deal with the amendment.

Samart said the committee would be empowered to establish various subcommittees for tasks such as organising public hearings on different issues of interest. He said the process was modelled on that used in the writing of the 1997 charter, which was scrapped by the military coup of 2006.

The coalition whips also agreed that only the two first chapters of the current charter, which involve general provisions and His Majesty the King, would be retained, according to Samart.