The big day is today, when Pita Limjareonrat and Move Forward here if they will be banned from Thai politics. In the meantime, a number of Thai senators have cancelled plans to issue a statement opposing the dissolution of the Move Forward Party.
The Constitutional Court will rule today on whether the party should be dissolved for its 2023 campaign pledge to amend the lèse majesté law.
According to a Thai PBS World report, senators who oppose the move planned to issue a statement to solicit the support of their fellow Senate members, but that idea was dropped.
Senator Nanthana Nanthawaropas says the senators planned to raise the issue in the Senate, but couldn’t do so due to some “inconveniences”. She adds that most senators disagree with the group as they believe the Senate shouldn’t interfere with the findings of the constitutional court.
She says foreign diplomats in the kingdom have already registered their concerns about the possible dissolution of the Move Forward Party and senators who share these concerns have decided to let the case run its course.
It’s understood the decision to back down from issuing a statement comes amid a warning from some experts that doing so could be considered interfering with the Constitutional Court, which could lead to being expelled from the Senate.
Thai PBS World reports meanwhile that Wissanu Krea-ngam, legal advisor to the PM, says a recent meeting between former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat and diplomats from 18 countries cannot be considered as foreign interference in Thailand’s internal affairs.
Wissanu says the role of foreign diplomats is to form relationships and seek information from various sources, including the media and at social functions, and doing so is a normal part of their duty.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
