Government refuses Opposition’s request for debate on executive decrees

Calls from Opposition parties for a special session of parliament to debate the Thai Government’s executive decrees have been given short shrift, with the government saying the debate will have to wait until May 22, when parliament is set to reconvene.

The three decrees relate to the procurement of significant loans, reported to be up to 1.9 trillion baht, in an attempt to ease some of the financial pain resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak. Any Opposition motion to debate the decrees requires the support of government MPs as Opposition parties do not have sufficient votes to pass it.

Thai PBS World reports that the Government chief whip, Virat Rattanaseth, says the government does not agree a debate is necessary right now and that as parliament is due to meet in three weeks, it can wait until then. He points to the ongoing pandemic situation, saying unnecessary meetings should be avoided to prevent MPs from becoming infected with the virus or distract them from the urgent matters at hand.

He further adds that Opposition parties can spend the time between now and then preparing for the debate.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World