Constitution amendment to take over a year: Education Minister

BANGKOK, December 31 (TNA) - Attempts by the government to amend the charter would probably take more than a year to complete, said Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana. Quoting earlier remarks by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra that amending the 2007 charter, written by a military-appointed panel following the September 2006 bloodless coup, would not complete within 2013, Phongthep said he believed it would take more than a year to complete because conducting a public referendum alone would require a long time and this could finish at the end of 2013. As it is still unknown what procedure the government would choose in amending the constitution, Phongthep said several opinions have been expressed and the government-appointed working committee is studying ways to amend the charter, including organizing a public referendum. The ruling Pheu Thai Party is scheduled to hold a major meeting between January 6-7 and party members are expected to present opinions on charter amendment, he said. The Constitution Court on July 13 this year ruled after the second reading of the amendment charter bill sailed through the parliament that rewriting the entire 2007 charter without a public referendum would be unconstitutional. Suggestions were made that the government could amend it section-by-section instead of rewriting the entire charter. (TNA)