Government warned of possible impeachment if it bypasses parliament in FTA deal
MCOT News, Thailand
Government warned of possible impeachment if it bypasses parliament in FTA deal
9 January 2006
BANGKOK, Jan 8 (TNA) - The Free Trade Area agreement that Thailand is negotiating with the US has implications on Thailand’s sovereignty and if the government bypasses the Parliament in the processing of finalising the agreement, it could be impeached, a veteran lawyer warned.
Lawyer Kanin Boonsuwan, a member of the now-defunct Constitution-Drafting Council which drafted the current Constitution said the Thai-US FTA agreement incurs commitment of the country and several laws ought to be amended to comply with it.
All these have implications on the State sovereignty as defined by the Constition. Therefore the government must seek parliamentary approval to enter into the FTA deal with the US, he said.
Agreeing to the FTA without parliament’s approval would mean the government breaches Section of 303 of the Constitution and is liable to impeachment. Mr Kanin urged Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to think through this matter carefully. (TNA)-E007
