Thai red shirt files petition to impeach judges | Bangkok Post

Thai red shirt files petition to impeach judges | Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post, June 7, 2012

he United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) on Thursday submitted a petition to the Senate heralding its intention to seek the impeachment and removal of seven Constitution Court judges.

The red-shirt group filed the petition with Pornthip Chanrattanapreeda, the second Senate deputy speaker, after gathering signatures to support it.

The petition shows the UDD's intention to seek the impeachment of the seven Constitution Court judges who voted to accept the petition against the charter amendment bill for consideration. One judge voted against it.

The court then issued an injunction ordering the parliament to suspend the third reading vote on the bill.

Mrs Pornthip accepted the petition. She said the UDD has 180 days to gather 20,000 names to support the petition.

A large number of red-shirts gathered outside parliament on Uthong Nai road on Thursday to show their dissatisfaction with the Constitution Court's action.

Red-shirt leaders including UDD chair Tida Thawornseth and Weng Tojirakan went on the stage to attack the court and Democrat Party MPs for causing the melee in parliament on May 30 and 31.

Ms Tida said that after submitting the impeachment petition the UDD would continue to gather up to one million names to show the court bench it had been rejected by the people.
It was reported that the UDD would rally until midnight.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said UDD former chairman Veerakan Musikhapong should not have commented publicly in a way that can be construed as trying to intimidate the Constitution Court.

Mr Veerakan said on Wednesday that if the charter amendment bill's deliberation by parliament was aborted there might be civil war, which could be more violent than the situation in 2010.

If this happened the Constitution Court would be seen clearly by the people as lacking legitimacy, he said.

Mr Veera said the Constitution Court, in ordering parliament to delay the third reading of the charter amendment bill, concluded in its imagination that the amendment was intended to abolish the constitutional monarchy, even though it was agreed beforehand that the chapter on the monarchy would not be touched.

Mr Abhisit, in a telephone interview with the Blue Sky TV Channel of the Democrat Party, said Mr Veerakan's comments could be seen as trying to intimidate the court, as if the country was without the rule of law.

On House secretary-general Pithoon Poomhiran's conclusion that it was not necessary for parliament to heed the court's order and it was not legally binding on it, Mr Abhisit said he was surprised to hear this.

The former prime minister said the court, in making the order, was following normal practice to prevent possible damage.

The court acted as it was empowered to do by a provision of the Civil Procedures Code.
"Whoever disagrees with the court can seek its removal, but mobilisation of the masses against the court, or intimidation of it, should not happen," Mr Abhisit said.
The Democrat Party and opposition leader foresaw no problems during the joint sitting of parliament on Friday.

He said that if the charter amendment bill was taken up for the third reading on Friday and passed, the parliament president would face a problem in forwarding the legislation for His Majesty the King's endorsement because the Constitution Court had already ordered parliament to delay the third reading.

"I know the man who is staying abroad has given the order to 'go'.  It is now time to see whether the government, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Pheu Thai MPs will listen to an order from just one person," Mr Abhisit said.