Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BANGKOK700
2009-03-19 09:16:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bangkok
Cable title:
THAI PARLIAMENT BEGINS NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE
how-toVZCZCXRO3591 OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM DE RUEHBK #0700/01 0780916 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 190916Z MAR 09 FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6449 INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 9515 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1463 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 6860 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 5343 RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI PRIORITY 6327 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 000700
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM TH
SUBJECT: THAI PARLIAMENT BEGINS NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE
REF: BANGKOK 635 (IMPEACHMENT COMPLAINT)
BANGKOK 00000700 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: DCM James F. Entwistle, reason: 1.4 (b) and (d).
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
-------------------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 000700
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM TH
SUBJECT: THAI PARLIAMENT BEGINS NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE
REF: BANGKOK 635 (IMPEACHMENT COMPLAINT)
BANGKOK 00000700 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: DCM James F. Entwistle, reason: 1.4 (b) and (d).
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
--------------
1. (C) Thai legislators on March 19 began a no-confidence
debate targeting the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister,
the Finance Minister, and two Deputy Ministers. There have
been no signs that a significant number of legislators from
other parties are willing to join Puea Thai MPs in voting
against the Abhisit administration, and we expect the
government will survive the March 21 no-confidence vote. End
Summary and Comment.
DETAILS
--------------
2. (SBU) Thai legislators on March 19 began a no-confidence
debate initiated by 172 Representatives from the Puea Thai
(PT) party. In the morning, PT MP Chalerm Yoobamrung began
his party's exposition of complaints against the Democrat
Party (DP). Chalerm focused primarily on an allegedly
illegal donation to the DP from the conglomerate of political
financier Prachai Leophairatana. The March 19 phase of the
debate provides a platform for wide-ranging criticism, not
restricted to particular individuals or to the topics that
were listed in a recent complaint calling for Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva's impeachment (reftel). On March 20, PT
legislators will more precisely focus on particular cabinet
members. A no-confidence vote is currently scheduled for
March 21.
3. (C) House Speaker Chai Chidchob, who is currently aligned
with the Democrat Party, accelerated the schedule for the
debate. PT MPs had anticipated the debate taking place in
the last days of March. Chai likely arranged for the early
debate in order to prevent PT from thoroughly preparing --
not simply hampering their ability to substantiate
allegations made on the House floor, but also, more
importantly, disrupting their plans for accompanying street
demonstrations or cash disbursements to MPs who might be open
to siding with Puea Thai. (Nevertheless, on the morning of
March 19, approximately 20 "redshirt" anti-government
protestors appeared at the parliament and burned Abhisit in
effigy.)
4. (SBU) Following the dissolution of the pro-Thaksin
People's Power Party (PPP),PPP legislators had a grace
period (until February) during which they could shift to new
parties. As of March 19, according to a staff member of the
House Secretariat, the distribution of seats in the House of
Representatives appeared as follows:
Puea Thai...................... 182
Democrat Party................. 170
Phumjai Thai................... 32
Motherland..................... 30
Chart Thai Pattana............. 25
Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana.... 9
Pracharaj...................... 9
Social Action Party............ 5
Rassadorn Party................ 3
Total.......................... 465
(Some of the 480 House seats remain unfilled, and a small
number of the MPs included in the above tally have been
suspended because of ongoing election-related disputes under
adjudication by the courts.)
5. (C) Although factionalism remains problematic for most
political parties, we expect that Abhisit will survive the
no-confidence vote. It is noteworthy that the only other
party that has joined PT in the opposition camp, Pracharaj,
did not co-sponsor the motion for the no-confidence debate.
We would not be surprised, however, if Foreign Minister Kasit
Piromya receives less support than the other targeted cabinet
members. Kasit is more vulnerable because of his close ties
to the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD),whose November
2008 occupation of Bangkok's airports remains unpopular in
BANGKOK 00000700 002.2 OF 002
many quarters. (In the afternoon of March 19, a PT MP raised
in the debate the government's slow application of the law
against PAD in connection with the airports' seizure.)
6. (U) Aside from Abhisit and Kasit, the other cabinet
members whose performance is at issue in this debate are:
- Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij;
- Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul;
- Deputy Interior Minister Boonjong Wongtrairat; and
- Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Pataraprasit.
JOHN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM TH
SUBJECT: THAI PARLIAMENT BEGINS NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE
REF: BANGKOK 635 (IMPEACHMENT COMPLAINT)
BANGKOK 00000700 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: DCM James F. Entwistle, reason: 1.4 (b) and (d).
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
--------------
1. (C) Thai legislators on March 19 began a no-confidence
debate targeting the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister,
the Finance Minister, and two Deputy Ministers. There have
been no signs that a significant number of legislators from
other parties are willing to join Puea Thai MPs in voting
against the Abhisit administration, and we expect the
government will survive the March 21 no-confidence vote. End
Summary and Comment.
DETAILS
--------------
2. (SBU) Thai legislators on March 19 began a no-confidence
debate initiated by 172 Representatives from the Puea Thai
(PT) party. In the morning, PT MP Chalerm Yoobamrung began
his party's exposition of complaints against the Democrat
Party (DP). Chalerm focused primarily on an allegedly
illegal donation to the DP from the conglomerate of political
financier Prachai Leophairatana. The March 19 phase of the
debate provides a platform for wide-ranging criticism, not
restricted to particular individuals or to the topics that
were listed in a recent complaint calling for Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva's impeachment (reftel). On March 20, PT
legislators will more precisely focus on particular cabinet
members. A no-confidence vote is currently scheduled for
March 21.
3. (C) House Speaker Chai Chidchob, who is currently aligned
with the Democrat Party, accelerated the schedule for the
debate. PT MPs had anticipated the debate taking place in
the last days of March. Chai likely arranged for the early
debate in order to prevent PT from thoroughly preparing --
not simply hampering their ability to substantiate
allegations made on the House floor, but also, more
importantly, disrupting their plans for accompanying street
demonstrations or cash disbursements to MPs who might be open
to siding with Puea Thai. (Nevertheless, on the morning of
March 19, approximately 20 "redshirt" anti-government
protestors appeared at the parliament and burned Abhisit in
effigy.)
4. (SBU) Following the dissolution of the pro-Thaksin
People's Power Party (PPP),PPP legislators had a grace
period (until February) during which they could shift to new
parties. As of March 19, according to a staff member of the
House Secretariat, the distribution of seats in the House of
Representatives appeared as follows:
Puea Thai...................... 182
Democrat Party................. 170
Phumjai Thai................... 32
Motherland..................... 30
Chart Thai Pattana............. 25
Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana.... 9
Pracharaj...................... 9
Social Action Party............ 5
Rassadorn Party................ 3
Total.......................... 465
(Some of the 480 House seats remain unfilled, and a small
number of the MPs included in the above tally have been
suspended because of ongoing election-related disputes under
adjudication by the courts.)
5. (C) Although factionalism remains problematic for most
political parties, we expect that Abhisit will survive the
no-confidence vote. It is noteworthy that the only other
party that has joined PT in the opposition camp, Pracharaj,
did not co-sponsor the motion for the no-confidence debate.
We would not be surprised, however, if Foreign Minister Kasit
Piromya receives less support than the other targeted cabinet
members. Kasit is more vulnerable because of his close ties
to the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD),whose November
2008 occupation of Bangkok's airports remains unpopular in
BANGKOK 00000700 002.2 OF 002
many quarters. (In the afternoon of March 19, a PT MP raised
in the debate the government's slow application of the law
against PAD in connection with the airports' seizure.)
6. (U) Aside from Abhisit and Kasit, the other cabinet
members whose performance is at issue in this debate are:
- Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij;
- Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul;
- Deputy Interior Minister Boonjong Wongtrairat; and
- Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Pataraprasit.
JOHN