ID :
336246
Wed, 07/23/2014 - 13:31
Auther :

Authority:End to martial law depends on updated situation

BANGKOK, July 23 (TNA) - A member of the legal team of the Thai army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), General Paibul Khumchaya, says whether and when the martial law will be lifted depends on the updated situation. General Paibul, who is the NCPO's head for legal and justice affairs, told journalists of the information on Wednesday, one day after Thailand's provisional Charter was promulgated. General Paibul, who is also Assistant Army Chief, acknowledged that the interim Charter does not prohibit Army and NCPO Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha from becoming a Thai interim prime minister, as the the public and the National Legislative Assembly, to be soon established, will decide on the matter. Meanwhile, drafters denied the interim Constitution makes the NCPO more powerful than the government although the provisional Charter does not prohibit the NCPO chief from assuming an interim prime minister. At a press conference, a drafter, Dr. Visanu Krue-ngam, explained that Section 44 of the provisional Constitution authorizes the NCPO to take special actions only under security circumstances in which the Cabinet will be unable to handle in order to ensure smooth and continual national reform. Dr. Visanu noted that the interim prime minister could be impeached by the junta and could be removed if the majority of the National Legislative Assembly's members backed the removal. Dr. Visanu, who is an NCPO legal advisor, assessed that the draft of Thailand's new permanent Constitution should be completed within four months and if the task finished sooner, concerned authorities could decide if the draft should undergo a referendum. (TNA)

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