Cabinet resolves to sponsor charter amendment bill : PM

The Cabinet Monday resolved to sponsor its own version of a charter amendment bill that seeks to change Article 291 to set up a constitution drafting assembly.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that the government's bill will amend just one article so that the CDA could be set up to draft a new charter.

She said her government wanted to focus on rehabilitating the country and helping the people but now that civil groups had sponsored their charter drafts, the government wanted to have its bill deliberated along with the people's drafts.

"If the government does not submit its draft now, it will not be taken up for deliberation, so the government thinks we have to use this chance to sponsor the bill," Yingluck said.

She said the charter rewriting would have nothing to do with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

She said the government's draft would seek to have 77 CDA members elected from 77 provinces. She said 22 other CDA members would be specialists selected by Parliament and the government would not get involved in the selection process.

It would depend on Parliament as to whether the selection process of 22 CDA specialist members would be transparent or not, she added.

Deputy Public Health Minister Surawit Khonsomboon said Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung proposed the draft to the Cabinet for endorsement.