BANGKOK, Sept 23 – A Thai civil society group is lodging a petition with the Constitution Court, seeking its ruling on whether the government-sponsored bill to borrow Bt2 trillion for Thailand’s infrastructure investment is against the national charter.
Suriyasai Katasila, coordinator of the Green Politics Group and a leader of the Thailand People’s Reform Assembly (TPRA), said yesterday that the government’s management of the mammoth budget was unacceptable.
“We don’t oppose mega projects to develop the country’s transportation and infrastructure but we don’t agree with the way the government is managing the budget,” he said.
Mr Suriyasai and Somkiat Phongpaiboon, another staunch opponent of the government, met with leading TPRA members yesterday on their stand towards the Bt2 trillion borrowing and several other issues, including the government’s planned construction of Mae Wong Dam in Nakhon Sawan, impact of energy reform on society, the Amnesty Bill, charter amendment and high cost of living.
He said the TPRA will hold a people’s forum at Rangsit University on October 12 to garner opinions from Thai people countrywide.
TPRA members will also visit rubber farmers in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat to get first-hand accounts of their grievances, he said.
