Constitutional amendments won’t touch monarchy, insists Thai PM

BANGKOK, February 29 (TNA) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has insisted her government will not touch sections concerning the revered Thai monarchy when amending the 2007 Constitution. Yingluck Wednesday repeated her statement last Friday, after presiding over a ceremony to present awards to best Thai industrialists in 2011. As many parties fear that the ongoing Charter amendments may lead to conflicts in the Thai society, Yingluck told reporters that she, instead, expects the constitutional amendments will pave way the way for achieving national reconciliation. The Pheu Thai premier affirmed that the Charter changes do not intend to help any individual, referring to her elder brother, exiled ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Regarding the future status of independent bodies after the constitutional amendments, namely the Constitutional Court and the Administrative Court, the Thai premier said all decisions rest with the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA). (TNA)