Thai PM:Charter change will bring about national benefit

BANGKOK, April 2 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has insisted that her government considers the amendment of the 2010 Constitution will lead to national benefits, asking the opposition camp to, thus, cooperate on the ongoing constitutional amendment debate in the Parliament. In response to lengthy protests during the first day of the planned three-day debate on constitutional amendment bills on Monday, Yingluck Shinawatra told journalists on Tuesday that she would like the opposition to cooperate because the legislature considers constitutional amendment to be the only way out for national progress. The prime minister explained, as a bill to form a national legislative assembly to rewrite the Thai Charter was earlier blocked from passing its third reading, the legislature is following the Constitutional Court’s recommendation to change particular sections of the 2010 Constitution instead. Regarding the opposition’s doubt on the neutrality of Senate Speaker and Deputy Parliament President Nikhom Wairatpanich in his role as a chair of the ongoing joint parliamentary sitting on the proposed constitutional amendments because he earlier signed to support constitutional amendment bills, the prime minister said government and opposition whips need to coordinate the matter, as the government and people would like to see good atmosphere in the Parliament, denying that a change to Section 68 of the 2010 Constitution affect people’s rights. The first-day debate lasted about seven hours, with the government taking less than three hours, the opposition two hours and a half and senators about two hours, while protests occupied over four hours of the debate. Meanwhile, government chief whip Amnuay Khlangpha suggested that the opposition camp refrain from lengthy protests, expressing his hope that the parliamentary debate could be concluded by April 3 as set. (TNA)