By Thai Newsroom Reporters
IN WHAT WAS SEEN as a preplanned, concerted move of pro-Bhumjaithai senators, a couple of prominent nominees for judge of the Constitutional Court were overwhelmingly denied by those senior lawmakers today (March 18).
In a weekly Senate session, a prevailing majority of the senators, over 100 of whom are known to be more or less practically influenced by and supportive of the Bhumjaithai, the second largest coalition partner, cast nay votes against former Chulalongkorn political scientist Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee and former Consular Affairs Department chief Chatri Atchananand for the position of a judge attached to the Constitutional Court respectively.
The senators cast 136 nay votes against Siripan compared to 43 yea votes for the woman political scientist and 115 nay votes against the former consular chief compared to 47 yea votes for him. Both had been formally proposed by a qualification screening committee chaired by a Supreme Court president.
Due to today’s failed nomination in the Senate, another couple of nominees for judge of the Constitutional Court will be proposed for approval of the senators to replace two retired judges of the “independent” agency which totally consists of nine judges.
Siripan has been considerably critical of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s father/de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra who had recently held a hush-hush talk with de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob about last year’s senatorial rigging scandals currently affecting as many as 138 pro-Bhumjaithai senators and the now-denied naming of the retired political scientist and diplomat, among other topics.
In an apparent quid-pro-quo effort, the billionaire, power-playing Thaksin was more or less anticipated to pull his punches over the electoral fraud allegations involving the pro-Bhumjaithai senators which have already become a special case for the Department of Special Investigation to delve into and bring those suspected senators to justice whilst one of his outstanding critics has been kept at bay by the senior lawmakers.
The DSI is a government agency directly under command of Prachachart leader/Justice Minister Thavi Sodsong against whom the pro-Bhumjaithai senators had filed a power abuse lawsuit after he had given the green light for the agency’s in-depth probe involving the suspected senior lawmakers. Thavi is largely known as a quiet, unfaltering supporter of the de facto Pheu Thai boss.
CAPTION
Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee and Chatri Atchananand. Photo: Naewna
Also read: Pro-Bhumjaithai senators to reject political scientist as charter court judge
Aquatic farmers rally over spread of havoc-wreaking blackchin tilapia fish
35 tourists rescued after boat billows black smoke into the sky
Berserk Iranian tourist uses syringe to stab hotel staff
US hits Thai officials with visa sanctions over deportation of Uyghurs to China
