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Published on March 13, 2008

The senators are scheduled to convene their first official meeting tomorrow when the speaker and two deputies are to be elected.

In Parliament yesterday, 138 of the 144 senators who were endorsed by the Election Commission gathered for an unofficial meeting.

Kamol Prachuapmoh, 72, is the oldest member of the Upper House, He played the chairman's role as it is a tradition for the oldest member to chair Parliament meetings when the speaker is not available.

During the meeting, some senators proposed the speaker must be politically neutral and show responsibility by resigning if he is found to have taken sides.

Bangkok Senator Rosana Tositrakul said the speaker should allow colleagues to remove him from office if he failed to stay neutral.

"The Senate speaker must be able to accept scrutiny, or the system will be hopeless. His behaviour will determine if he can hold the position," she said.

The candidates were each given three minutes to convince colleagues by airing their visions and plans if they were elected speaker.

The six candidates were Nonthaburi's Direk Thuengfang, Buri Ram's Thaweesak Kidbanjong, Songkhla's Prasert Chitpong, Surat Thani's Police Lt-General Manote Kraiwong, and appointed senators Prasopsuk Boondej and General Lerdrat Rattanavanich.

Direk, one of the elected senators of 2006 whose term was cut short by the coup, said if elected, he would try to best apply management skills he had acquired from his experience as provincial governor.

Thaweesak said he would try to ensure transparency and independence in the Senate. The Upper House's work and activities would also be more visible to the public, he said.

Prasopsuk, a former judge, promised to perform his duties honestly and justly.

He would allow colleagues to scrutinise him. "If I commit any wrongdoing, I will quit not only as speaker but as senator also. I'm ready to face criminal action," he said.

Prasert said he would perform his duties lawfully and allow for scrutiny.

The Nation