Constitution Drafting Assembly of Thailand

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Constitution Drafting Assembly of Thailand (th: สภาร่างรัฐธรรมนูญแห่งราชอาณาจักรไทย, Sapha Rang Ratthathammanun Haeng Ratchanachak Thai) or CDA is a body normally charged with duties to draft the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand. There normally existed the Assembly pending the enforcement of the interim constitution promulgated by the coup which aims to have the permanent constitution in the future, or in the case where it is extremely needed to cooperate the benefits and objectives of every sectors in the society.

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand Buddhist Era 2492 (1949) was the first prepared by CDA in accordance with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (Interim) Buddhist Era 2490 (1947).^[1]

Contents 1 Benefits of Having CDA 2 History 2.1 1996 3 2007 4 References

[edit] Benefits of Having CDA

1. The Assembly consists of people from various occupations which resulted in the various ways of opinions.
2. The Assembly is especially established in charge of preparation of the new constitution, it is therefor able to spend full time for such duties.
3. The political tensions could be minified as well as the benefits of every social sections could be cooperated.

[edit] History

[edit] 1996

Under the premiership of Banhan Sinlapa-acha, the people demanded the politics to be reformed and the Constitution to be amended to become veridically democratic as well as to impede the vote buying and the corruptions. The Government, thereby, amended the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand BE 2534 (1991) to constitute CDA to prepare new charter.

At the time, The National Assembly of Thailand (NAT) resolved that this CDA to be consisted of 99 members: being one people's representative from each Changwat (province), 76 representatives in total; and other 23 academicians from educational high institutes.

For aquisition of the people's representative from each Changwat: the persons within such Changwat registered at the Office of the Provincial Election Commission and all the candidates elect ten among themselves and submitted the names to NAT to further select one of them to become CDA members.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej appointed Uthai Phimchaichon as President of CDA.

The success of this CDA was the well-known People's Constitition which was abrogated by the Council for Democratic Reform in 2006.

[edit] 2007

The 2007 CDA consisted of the members selected on 27 December 2006 by the Council for National Security (CNS)—formerly Council for Democratic Reform, the military junta that overthrown the Government under the premiership of Pol Col Thaksin Shinawatra on 19 September 2006—from the notimations submitted by the National People's Assembly (NPA).

King Bhumibol Adulyadej issued a Royal Command appointing CDA members in accordance with Section 23 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (Interim) Buddhist Era 2549 (2006) on 1 January 2007, the Royal Command was countersigned by Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin, CNS Chairperson.

Members of this CDA could be catagorised by occupation as follows: 28 from the public service sector, 27 from the private sector, 23 from the social sector and 22 from the academic sector; and by origin as follows: 10 from the northern region, 68 from the central region, 12 from the eastern region and 10 from the sounthern region.

CDA members selected 25 among themselves and CNS selected other ten CDA members to become the Constitution Drafting Committee.

In 2007, the Thai mass media gave a nickname to CDA that "saep sanit sit comocho" (th: แสบสนิทศิษย์ คมช., the Tart Sons of CNS) as CDA members were from NPA members, mebers of both Assemblies were selected by CNS and at the result, Section 309 of the Constitution drafted by CDA granted amnesty to CNS for coup staging in 2006.

Furthermore, King Bhumibol Adulyadej appointed Noranit Setthabut, CDA member, as its President, and Decho Sawananon, 1st Vice President and Kroekkiat Phiphatseritham, 2nd Vice President.

The success of this CDA was the 1st Referendum Approved Constitution that still in force.

[edit] References