Meechai bows out of politics

National Legis-lative Assembly (NLA) Speaker Meechai Ruchu-phan announced his retirement from politics during a thank-you dinner on Friday to mark the end of his term.

The junta-appointed NLA will cease functioning as the upper chamber today, coinciding with the senatorial election.

"The world has changed a great deal and I feel like a dinosaur," Meechai said. He said he was no longer fit for legislative duty because of his age.

"I don't feel as eager as before for political participation and I have found that what I used to think and do is no longer compatible with modern-day politicking," he said.

He said he would "let go" instead of getting involved in the political scene, and hoped his legislative contributions would help to steer the country on the right track.

Speaking informally to reporters after his farewell speech, Meechai said he would not accept an invitation to lead a legislative branch if there were another coup or under any other circumstances, pointing out that he is now 70 years old.

He said he was completely unaware of the September 19 coup until a group of four military officers paid him a visit at his home at around 9pm that night.

"I think I was given the job of NLA speaker by accident, because ajarn Bowornsak Uwanno was in France at the time," he said.

Meechai said he was the last to know about every coup. He became involved in legislative duty following the 2006 power seizure because he was "unlucky" enough to be sought out for his legal expertise to put the political system back on track, he said.

Asked to comment on the September 19 coup, he said it was a "most lame" incident.

The Nation