Thailand's opposition to take action against House Speaker

BANGKOK, November 16 (TNA) - Thailand’s main opposition Democrat Party will discuss on November 19, 2013 its plan to take action against House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranond, who is also Thai Parliament President, if he continued refusing to put a no-confidence debate on agenda for a House debate as requested by the opposition camp. Ongart Klampaiboon, a Democrat list-MP told reporters of the move on Saturday, one day after his party submitted a no-confidence motion against Thai Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, her deputy Plodprasop Suraswadi and Interior Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan to the House Speaker, who then said it was not possible to put the censure debate on the Lower House agenda by the end of this month because the opposition failed to attach documents alleging the trio of malpractices. The Democrat Party, which also sought impeachment against the prime minister and the two key Cabinet members, argued the Thai Constitution does not stipulate that details on charges must be attached with a no-confidence motion form. Ong-art assessed the Yingluck government might choose to dissolve the House when realizing that it could no longer exercise power in order to escape from the mounting political pressure. Meanwhile, key Democrats organising a mass rally at the Democracy Monument on Bangkok's Rajadammoen Avenue have escalated their protest, beyond its rejection to the government-sponsored amnesty bill, to a call for public boycotts against government officials allegedly serving ex-exiled Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra,Premier Yingluck's elder brother, products and services linked with Thaksin's family, as well as a nationwide strike by workers and the impeachment against all government MPs who voted in favour of the draft amnesty bill early this month. Another rally organised on Rajadamnoen Avenue by the Network of Students and People for Thailand’s Reform (NSPTR), also aimed at toppling the coalition government, peacefully marched from their rally site in front of the United Nations regional office to install the national flags in areas declared off-limits for demonstrators due to the enforcement of the Internal Security Act (ISA) by the government earlier, urging people and state officials to cooperate in toppling the incumbent government charged with corruption, before marching back to their rally site. (TNA)