The constitutional amendment committee aims to come up with concrete conclusions on some issues within two months of its first sitting, a panel member said yesterday.
The committee, appointed by the prime minister and headed by Professor Dr Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, convened its second meeting yesterday morning at Government House.
Sombat chaired the meeting of the panel's subcommittee on constitutional amendment, which is to consider six amendments proposed by the parliamentary committee on charter change and political reconciliation.
It was agreed the subcommittee had to complete its work during September, according to the Sombat committee's secretary Wuthisan Tanchai.
In the meantime, two other subcommittees - on constitutional analysis for political reform, and on public participation in democracy and constitutional amendment - would continue with their work simultaneously, Wuthisan said.
"Within the first one and a half months, we should see proposals and viewpoints from the subcommittees. The pros and cons of the proposed amendments will be considered clause by clause. I think within the first two months, there will be conclusions on the issues that are not complex," he told reporters after the meeting.
Wuthisan said the panel would attempt to complete its work within four months, the time frame set by the government. "At least within two months, you will see something [concrete]. If we spend too much time, we will be accused of trying to buy time," he added.
In response to suspicion of panel members' neutrality, Wuthisan said all are academics and he did not think they would be easily influenced. He said the committee would explain to the public the reasoning behind its constitutional amendment.
However, another committee member Thawee Suraritkul said many panel members were worried about the ambitious target of completing amendments on the six issues within the time frame set by the government.