Crisis panel unnecessary: junta
The Council for National Security (CNS) yesterday recommended there be no national crisis committee as suggested by the constitution draft.
CNS chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin and council members met for three hours yesterday to discuss the draft.Spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the council believed the emergency panel was unnecessary. It said conventional democratic mechanisms were available to deal with a national crisis. The council agreed with the Constitution Drafting Committee that 320 seats be filled from multi-member constituencies and 80 by members elected from party lists. The council made no observation over filling the Senate although it said if it was appointed a selection panel would need to be "neutral" and made up of people from various professions. An appointed Senate should be allowed to "screen" legislation only. Sansern said. If a Senate is elected it should be given the power to impeach independent agencies, it said. The CNS recommended censure debates be more easily launched by reducing the number of members of Parliament supporting such a motion. Prime ministers should not serve more than two terms or eight years, it said. The CNS recommendations will be sent to the drafting committee before May 26.
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