An alliance led by Thailand’s progressive Move Forward Party hopes to draft a new constitution, end monopolies and allow same-sex marriage, among other aims, according to a draft of objectives that made no mention of a divisive royal insult law.
The opposition Move Forward and Pheu Thai Party dominated last week’s election in a resounding defeat of conservative parties backed by a royalist military that has controlled the government since a 2014 coup.
They are seeking to form a coalition government with six other parties, all of which were due to sign the agreement on their objectives yesterday.
Photo: Bloomberg
The signing takes place on the ninth anniversary of a military coup against a democratically elected government that ushered in phase of military rule that the winners of the polls on Sunday last week hope to end.
Move Forward was the surprise election winner, emerging with the most seats with the help of young voters excited by an agenda that puts the party at odds with some conservative big business interests and institutions, including a plan to amend a lese majeste law that punishes perceived insults of the monarchy with long jail sentences.
Other alliance members have had reservations about tampering with that law.
Asked about the preliminary list of proposals drawn up by Move Forward and circulated among all prospective coalition members, senior Move Forward official Bencha Saengchantra said that alliance members were in agreement on 80 to 90 percent of the plans, “but it can still be adjusted.”
The party had on Friday said that lese majeste would be included only if the eight parties backed it.
Bencha said that Move Forward would seek amendments in parliament independently.
The draft includes most of Move Forward’s flagship polices, such as a push for decentralization of power and budget, and to “cancel monopolies and support fair competition in trade in all industries.”
It also takes aim at the military, calling for an end to mandatory conscription and reform of the armed forces as well as the justice system and civil service, “corresponding with democratic principles with emphasis on transparency, up-to-date effectiveness and prioritizing the public interest.”
Thailand’s military has staged 13 coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 and confrontation between the generals and civilian politicians and activists has been at the heart of recurring instability over the years.
The alliance would also seek to reform welfare and education, a balanced foreign policy and pursuit of laws to both control and endorse the use of cannabis, which Thailand legalized last year, despite confusion over regulations.
Pins hidden in her shoes, head forced down a toilet, kicked in the stomach: South Korean hairdresser Pyo Ye-rim suffered a litany of abuse from school bullies, but now she is speaking out. The 26-year-old is part of a phenomenon sweeping South Korea known as “Hakpok #MeToo,” where people who were bullied publicly name and shame the perpetrators of school violence — “hakpok” in Korean — decades after the alleged crimes. Made famous globally by Netflix’s gory revenge series The Glory, the movement has ensnared everyone from K-pop stars to baseball players and accusations — often anonymous — can be career-ending, with
One of Australia’s two active volcanoes on an island near Antarctica — known as Big Ben — has been spotted by satellite spewing lava. The lava flow on the uninhabited Heard Island, about 4,100km southwest of Perth and 1,500km north of Antarctica, is part of an ongoing eruption that was first noted more than a decade ago. The image was caught by the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite on Thursday, and is a composite of an optical picture and an infrared image. The lava is seen flowing down the side of Big Ben from near the summit, known as Mawson Peak.
SYMBOLIC: The bill sponsored by a cross-party group of lawmakers was hailed as a ‘historic moment’ in the fight for marriage equality, but is unlikely to pass Lawmakers in South Korea have proposed the country’s first same-sex marriage bill, in a move hailed by civic groups as a defining moment in the fight for equality. The marriage equality bill, proposed by South Korean lawmaker Jang Hye-yeong of the minor opposition Justice Party and co-sponsored by 12 lawmakers across all the main parties, seeks to amend the country’s civil code to allow same-sex marriage. The bill is unlikely to pass, but forms part of a trio of bills expected to increase pressure on the government to expand the idea of family beyond traditional criteria. The two other bills relate to
TIME TO TALK: Among China’s grievances were economic and trade issues related to Taiwan, but both countries emphasized the need to maintain communication US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (戴琪) on Friday raised complaints about China’s state-led economic policies during a meeting with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao (王文濤), who objected to US tariffs and trade policies, as well as issues related to Taiwan, their offices said. However, statements from the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce emphasized the need for Washington and Beijing to maintain communication on trade. “Ambassador Tai highlighted the need to address the critical imbalances caused by China’s state-led, non-market approach to the economy and trade policy,” the USTR said in a statement released after the
RSS