Court accepts complaint against Thailand's Caretaker PM

BANGKOK, April 2 (TNA) - Bangkok's Constitutional Court has accepted for consideration, with the unanimous vote of judges, a complaint against Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s decision to transfer Thawil Pliensri from the position of the National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general. The complaint was filed by 28 persons, including Senator Paibul Nititawan, who sought the court's ruling that Yingluck’s status as the prime minister ended since she unlawfully ordered Thawil's transfer. Earlier, Bangkok's Administrative Court ruled against the transfer order. The Constitutional Court said on Wednesday that it has authority to consider the complaint and ordered Yingluck to defend herself within 15 days. But the Constitutional Court decided, also with the unanimous vote, to drop a complaint of Caretaker Labour Minister Police Captain Chalerm Yubamrung, who is also Director of the caretaker government-run Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO), that political protests of the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) are unconstitutional attempts to seize power, reasoning that Chalerm's complaint concerned criminal affairs and it, thus, should go to the Criminal Court. The Constitutional Court also indicated that the Criminal Court had already approved arrest warrants against some key PDRC protesters.(TNA)