Former Thai PM impeached, soon to be criminally charged
World |
Military-appointed assembly approves Yinglucks impeachment by wide margin, hours after attorney general office announces it will indict her
Thailands national assembly voted by a wide margin Friday to impeach former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in relation to a loss-ridden rice-subsidies scheme, just hours after the attorney generals office announced it would initiate a criminal procedure against her.
The 220-member military-appointed assembly voted 190 against 18, with eight abstentions and three invalid ballots, to impeach Yingluck, resulting in her being banned from all political activities for the next five years.
In parallel voting, assembly members decided in a tight vote not to impeach former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont and former Senate speaker Nikom Wairatpanich in relation to a planned constitutional change to have a fully elected Senate.
The decision was widely expected as all members of the legislature have been appointed by the junta who overthrew Yinglucks government May 22, and half of them are active or retired military officers and most of the rest conservative bureaucrats.
Commenting on the vote results, several analysts did not think it would provoke a strong reaction from the supporters of the Shinawatra political clan led by divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- Yinglucks elder brother -- be they members of the Puea Thai Party led by Yingluck or grassroots supporters known as Red Shirts.
The Puea Thai has been very low key since the coup. Party leaders even said: let the junta do what they want, Michael Nelson, a sociologist who follows Thai politics, told The Anadolu Agency. Concerning the Red Shirts, they are destined to remain quiet, because if they raise their head they will be severely repressed.
On Wednesday, army chief General Udomdej Sitabutr had cautioned Red Shirts against demonstrating in the streets if the impeachment is approved, warning to use martial law to counter them. On Thursday, he asked all Thais to accept the decision of the national assembly whatever it is.
I dont think that the impeachment can mobilize a large population. They will not go into the streets to defend Yingluck. It is a fait accompli, Gothom Arya, director of the Research Center for Peace at Mahidol University, told AA.
Yinglucks political future looks bleak -- not only because of the impeachment, but also the criminal charge soon to be filed by the attorney general office that could see her handed a jail sentence of up to ten years.
The attorney generals office has considered witnesses and evidence submitted and we agree that the case substantiates a criminal indictment charge against Yingluck, Surasak Theerattrakul, an official at the office, said barely two hours before the impeachment vote.
The junta objective of uprooting the political influence of the Shinawatra clan appreared to have taken a big step with Fridays events.
It is hard to see how the Shinawatra family can keep a role in Puea Thai. I am even not sure that they want to continue to have a role, especially with the criminal charge, Nelson told AA. They may be too disillusioned about their future opportunities and think lets go back to our business life.
The development also raise questions on the political future of the Puea Thai party.
Maybe, the party will be able to continue to function as a political force, with members relying more on themselves and not any more on Thaksin. But in any case, the party will be weakened, Gothom Arya said.
The impeachment process was brought against Yingluck last October by the Anti-Corruption Commission, who accused her of dereliction of duty for not having stopped the rice-subsidies scheme. Critics of the scheme said that it provokes huge financial losses for the state, was run without transparency and opened the door for massive corruption.
In November, Thailands finance ministry said that losses caused by the program had amounted to $15.8 billion since July 2011, when Yingluck was elected PM.
Anadolu Agency
The 220-member military-appointed assembly voted 190 against 18, with eight abstentions and three invalid ballots, to impeach Yingluck, resulting in her being banned from all political activities for the next five years.
In parallel voting, assembly members decided in a tight vote not to impeach former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont and former Senate speaker Nikom Wairatpanich in relation to a planned constitutional change to have a fully elected Senate.
The decision was widely expected as all members of the legislature have been appointed by the junta who overthrew Yinglucks government May 22, and half of them are active or retired military officers and most of the rest conservative bureaucrats.
Commenting on the vote results, several analysts did not think it would provoke a strong reaction from the supporters of the Shinawatra political clan led by divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- Yinglucks elder brother -- be they members of the Puea Thai Party led by Yingluck or grassroots supporters known as Red Shirts.
The Puea Thai has been very low key since the coup. Party leaders even said: let the junta do what they want, Michael Nelson, a sociologist who follows Thai politics, told The Anadolu Agency. Concerning the Red Shirts, they are destined to remain quiet, because if they raise their head they will be severely repressed.
On Wednesday, army chief General Udomdej Sitabutr had cautioned Red Shirts against demonstrating in the streets if the impeachment is approved, warning to use martial law to counter them. On Thursday, he asked all Thais to accept the decision of the national assembly whatever it is.
I dont think that the impeachment can mobilize a large population. They will not go into the streets to defend Yingluck. It is a fait accompli, Gothom Arya, director of the Research Center for Peace at Mahidol University, told AA.
Yinglucks political future looks bleak -- not only because of the impeachment, but also the criminal charge soon to be filed by the attorney general office that could see her handed a jail sentence of up to ten years.
The attorney generals office has considered witnesses and evidence submitted and we agree that the case substantiates a criminal indictment charge against Yingluck, Surasak Theerattrakul, an official at the office, said barely two hours before the impeachment vote.
The junta objective of uprooting the political influence of the Shinawatra clan appreared to have taken a big step with Fridays events.
It is hard to see how the Shinawatra family can keep a role in Puea Thai. I am even not sure that they want to continue to have a role, especially with the criminal charge, Nelson told AA. They may be too disillusioned about their future opportunities and think lets go back to our business life.
The development also raise questions on the political future of the Puea Thai party.
Maybe, the party will be able to continue to function as a political force, with members relying more on themselves and not any more on Thaksin. But in any case, the party will be weakened, Gothom Arya said.
The impeachment process was brought against Yingluck last October by the Anti-Corruption Commission, who accused her of dereliction of duty for not having stopped the rice-subsidies scheme. Critics of the scheme said that it provokes huge financial losses for the state, was run without transparency and opened the door for massive corruption.
In November, Thailands finance ministry said that losses caused by the program had amounted to $15.8 billion since July 2011, when Yingluck was elected PM.
Anadolu Agency
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