By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A CLIQUE OF 20 RENEGADE MPs headed by former Palang Pracharath secretary-general Thammanat Prompao will be by no means ousted as members of the second largest opposition party.
Palang Pracharath secretary-general Paibul Nititawan confirmed today (Sep. 10) none of the 20 rebellious MPs under command of his predecessor will be formally expelled though they had practically turned coat to support the Pheu Thai, core of the current coalition government.
If finally ousted as partisan members of the Palang Pracharath, those renegade lawmakers would be provided by law a 60-day period to register themselves for membership of another party to keep their MP status intact.
However, Paibul stopped short of suggesting that those renegade MPs, all being constituency-based legislators, willfully resign from the Palang Pracharath, thus immediately losing their MP status and then seek a re-election for MP at a later date.
The Thammanat-led lawmakers had cast a yea vote in support of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, for prime minister, followed by a resignation en masse of several renegade MPs including the former Palang Pracharath secretary-general as members of the executive board of the party, now part of the opposition bloc.
Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan had been absent in last month’s special House session to pick Thaksin’s daughter for prime minister since he himself had unsuccessfully contested for head of government.
Thammanat, who was not among members of the Paetongtarn I cabinet, had managed to name a trio personally close to him for ministers. That referred to former Thailand Trade Representative Narumon Pinyosinwat, Akhara Prompao and Itthi Sirilatthayakorn who were named agriculture & cooperatives minister and deputy agriculture & cooperatives ministers respectively.
CAPTIONS:
Palang Pracharth leader Prawit Wongsuwan, right in above photo and left in Front Page photo, and former secretary-general Thammanat Prompao. Both images: Thai Rath
Insert: Palang Pracharath secretary-general Paibul Nititawan. Photo: Parliament Public Relations Department and published by BBC
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