Pheu Thai in bid to push up amnesty bill

Crowd control police on standby inside Dusit Zoo.

The Pheu Thai Party strategic committee meeting yesterday resolved to move up an amnesty bill proposed by Pheu Thai MPs as one of the most urgent bills for deliberation.

Jatuporn Promphan, a leading Pheu Thai member and red-shirt leader, said the strategic committee decided to have Pheu Thai MPs vote during a House meeting today to move the proposal to the top of the House agenda at the next parliamentary session.

The bill was sponsored by Worachai Hema and other Pheu Thai MPs.

Chief coalition whip Amnuay Klungpha said changing the priority for Worachai's bill would be an urgent topic at today's House meeting.

But the bill's first reading will not be held tomorrow or during an extra-parliamentary session. He said deliberations on the bill would receive top priority when Parliament reconvenes in August.

Amnuay said the strategic committee had also decided against holding deliberations on four reconciliation bills and other amnesty bills along with Worachai's bill.

Worachai insisted that the bill aimed to help free red shirts who were detained during the demonstrations in 2010.

In a related development, nine companies of policemen were yesterday dispatched to keep security at Parliament ahead of the House meeting and a joint meeting of MPs and senators today.

Three companies of police were deployed inside Parliament compound while the remainder will be on standby at the car park in Dusit Zoo.

A joint House-Senate meeting is scheduled today for MPs and senators to vote on a time frame for the vetting of three charter amendment bills.

After the joint meeting, the House meeting will decide when the rescheduling of Worachai's bill is to be proposed. It is expected that the People's Alliance for Democracy will hold a demonstration outside Parliament against deliberation on the amnesty bill.

Deputy House Speaker Wisut Chaiyanaroon, who is in charge of security for MPs, said he had asked the Metropolitan Police Bureau to deploy its officers to keep security near Parliament.

He said the bureau had decided on its own on the number of policemen needed to maintain security. He said if the number of PAD protesters were large, the bureau might deploy more policemen to guard Parliament.

House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont said he learned about the deployment of crowd control police only when he saw them in the Parliament compound.

He said he was not informed of the deployment so Parliament's security affairs could make its own decision about help from the authorities.

Chart Thai Pattana MP from Ubon Ratchathani, Toon Jintavej, said his party had told its MPs to attend the parliamentary session and follow the decisions of the ruling Pheu Thai Party while voting on the time frame for charter amendment.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/04/18/pheu-thai-in-bid-to-push-up-amnesty-bill/