Bangkok: Parliament discusses amendments to the draft constitution for the first 12 hours, stating that Sections 1 and 2 cannot be touched. A new meeting is scheduled for October 15. A special joint meeting of the Parliament to consider the draft of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, Amendment (No. …) B.E. … Section 256, Amendment No. 15/1, to prepare a new draft constitution, which has 3 versions in total, from the People’s Party, the Pheu Thai Party, and the Bhumjaithai Party, starting at 9:30 a.m. until 9:45 p.m.
According to Thai News Agency, members of Parliament have held extensive discussions, with most unanimously advocating that the drafting of the constitution should be open to maximum public participation to ensure a truly people’s constitution, similar to the one adopted in 1997. Meanwhile, the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) should select individuals and allow public participation from the very beginning of the drafting process. Members of Parliament have confirmed that the drafting of this constitution will not touch Chapters 1 and 2.
Then, Mr. Wan Muhammad Noor Matha, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, presided over the meeting and adjourned at 9:45 p.m. The meeting was rescheduled for 9:00 a.m. on October 15th. The first day’s debate lasted 12 hours.