Thaksin petition faces hurdles

The Constitutional Court has yet to decide whether to accept for review a petition accusing former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the ruling Pheu Thai Party of attempting to undermine the constitutional monarchy.
The petition, lodged early this month by lawyer Teerayut Suwankesorn, whose complaint led to the disbandment of the former opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) on Aug 7, has outlined six points supporting the accusation.
Mr Teerayut initially submitted the complaint with the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) on Sept 24 asking it to investigate and forward the case to the court for a ruling.
He filed the complaint directly with the court after the OAG failed to act on his request within 15 days.
The Constitutional Court said on Tuesday that for the benefit of the case, it agreed to ask the OAG to submit a report detailing the actions taken regarding Mr Teerayut’s petition, including whether evidence has been gathered.
The court asked the OAG to submit the report within 15 days of being notified.
In his petition, Mr Teerayut claimed that Thaksin used the Ministry of Justice under the Pheu Thai-led government to secure an extended stay at the Police General Hospital when he should have been in jail following his conviction for abuse of power last year.
According to the lawyer, Thaksin allegedly instructed the Pheu Thai-led government to negotiate with Cambodia over territorial claims and benefit-sharing in the Gulf of Thailand.
The former prime minister allegedly instructed the ruling party to join hands with the People’s Party in seeking charter amendments.
Thaksin also reportedly intervened in the selection of a prime ministerial candidate after Srettha Thavisin was removed from office on Aug 14.
Mr Teerayut claimed Thaksin was also behind the ouster of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) from the coalition and that the former premier instructed Pheu Thai to use his vision outlined in a forum on Aug 22 as the government’s policy statement.
In the petition, Mr Teerayut asked the court to stop Thaksin from taking any actions to undermine the monarchy and to order Pheu Thai not to allow itself to be used as a tool.
The Constitutional Court’s move came as the Election Commission (EC) agreed last week to look into four petitions related to Thaksin’s alleged influence over the ruling party and five coalition partners.
The focus of the petitions was the gathering of key members of the Pheu Thai, Bhumjaithai, United Thai Nation (UTN), Palang Pracharath, Chartthaipattana, and Prachachat parties at Thaksin’s home to discuss Mr Srettha’s replacement.
The Constitutional Court on Aug 14 found Mr Srettha guilty of a gross violation of ethics for appointing ex-convict Pichit Chuenban as a cabinet minister. The ruling resulted in Mr Srettha being dismissed after less than a year in office.
The petitions also requested the EC consider formally asking the Constitutional Court to disband all these political parties for allegedly consenting to Thaksin’s influence which they believe to be a violation of Section 28 of the organic law on political parties.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday reiterated that she was not concerned about the accusations made against the party and its five partners because they had no merit.
Ms Paetongtarn, also leader of the ruling party, said holding talks with Thaksin, a former prime minister and also her father, did not constitute allowing oneself to be manipulated.
Rather, she said, it just demonstrated the existence of strong and healthy relationships.
However, she insisted the party would do its best to fight the allegations.
Pheu Thai list-MP Anusorn Iamsa-ard expressed confidence that Pheu Thai’s legal team would be able to clarify every point, and the investigation would neither disrupt the legislative work nor affect the government’s work.
He also said the investigative process would have to be thorough, and it was likely to take several months.
Leaders of the coalition parties strongly dismissed the accusations of being under Thaksin’s influence.
Prachachat leader Pol Col Tawee Sodsong said it was normal for coalition parties to meet and discuss matters and stressed they were all bound to adhere to the laws.
Chartthaipattana leader Varawut Silpa-archa said on Tuesday that the previous dissolution cases could trigger similar petitions while noting that each party’s responsibility was to defend its actions.