Showing 21 - 30 of 77
PM fails to put oath debate to bed
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 23/09/2019
» The Sept 18 parliamentary debate against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha over his incomplete reciting of the oath of office is over. But the controversy lingers on as the opposition has refused to let go of the matter. This is because the prime minister did not himself clarify why he omitted to recite an important part of the oath as stipulated in the constitution but assigned his top legal expert, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, to act on his behalf.
Wobbly days ahead for the next govt
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 03/06/2019
» Whether you like it or not, the incumbent premier and military regime leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha will most likely be elected the prime minister in parliament on Wednesday albeit with or without the full support of the Democrat Party because he has in his pocket 250 junta-appointed senators who are expected to vote for him. All he needs is a minimum of 376 votes from both the elected MPs and the senators.
Prawit ushers in nepotism on the sly
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 13/05/2019
» Many of us will understand by now why Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon was so tight-lipped over the past several months about the 194 senators that the selection committee he led was assigned to handpick. We were kept totally in the dark regarding the candidates for the posts.
Future Forward boss faces Supreme Court test
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 29/04/2019
» The media shareholding case against Future Forward Party (FFP) leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and a few other prospective MPs appear to revolve around two issues -- firstly, the interpretation of Section 98 (3) of the 2017 constitution and Section 42 (3) of the MPs Election Act which forbid an election candidate from being a proprietor or shareholder of a media company and, secondly, whether a verdict of the Supreme Court can be reversed.
Foreigners get TRC case all wrong
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 11/03/2019
» It comes as little surprise that most foreign media and human rights advocacy organisations, Amnesty International in particular, oppose the dissolution of the Thai Raksa Chart (TRC) Party, and regard the Constitutional Court's order to disband the party as yet another bid by the military junta to exploit an allegedly biased judicial system to bully their political opponents and suppress freedom of expression.
Ill-conceived gambit misfires badly
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 11/02/2019
» The first question that sprang to my mind on Friday morning when I learned about the pro-Thaksin Thai Raksa Chart Party's nomination of Princess Ubolratana as its sole prime ministerial candidate to the Election Commission was: "What were they thinking?"
Too many cover-ups in the Land of Smiles
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 26/02/2018
» The past week was dramatic for three unusual events -- the truck bashing with an axe by a very frustrated woman, the shocking inexplicable rejection of all seven final candidates for the Election Commission by the National Legislative Assembly, and the abrupt transfer of the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and his deputy over the plundering of funds for the destitute by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Mirror, mirror who's the fairest PM of all?
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 22/01/2018
» Bangkok Poll, of the research centre of Bangkok University, reported over the weekend that the popularity rating of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has dropped to 36.8% from the 52.8% recorded in its opinion survey conducted in May last year.
Regime's best-laid plans still subject to folly
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 15/01/2018
» Was Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon really serious when he issued a stern warning to officials of the Foreign Ministry, the Office of the Attorney-General and police that they could face malfeasance in office charges under the Criminal Code if they do not try hard enough to have fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra sent back home to face the music?
PM says he's a politician − no surprise there
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 08/01/2018
» Finally, last week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha halfheartedly admitted, for the first time since he took over the government's administration more than three years ago, that he is a politician, but not without reminding all of us that he is not just any politician -- but a politician who used to be a soldier.