Minister:Thai government's infrastructure bill is not against Constitution

BANGKOK, March 30 (TNA) - Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office Varathep Ratanakorn says that the Thai government's issuance of a two trillion baht loan bill to finance new mega-infrastructure development projects does not violate the 2010 Constitution. Varathep acknowledged during the weekly TV and radio programme of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday that the Office of the Council of State, which offers legal advice to the government, has confirmed that the bill, which empowers the Finance Ministry to borrow the money to fund the new mega-projects does not violate Article 169 of the 2010 Constitution and similar bills were also issued by previous governments. Varathep noted that the opposition camp can ask the Constitutional Court to interpret whether the bill violates the present Constitution, after the bill is finally approved by the House of Representatives. According to the minister, the Constitutional Court is believed to stay neutral in interpreting the bill, which was approved in its first reading by the Lower House late Friday after a 28-hour debate. (TNA)