The opposition Move Forward party has repeated its call for the Constitutional Court to hold an enquiry session in the party’s dissolution case, to allow the party to present witnesses, instead of just written submissions, in its defence.
Party leader Chaithawat Tulathon said that the case faced by the party is more serious that the one on which the Constitutional Court has already rules, ordering the party to cease its campaign to amend the lèse majesté law.
The pending case, which was submitted to the court by the Election Commission, calls for the dissolution of the party and the banishment from politics of the party’s executive committee members for up to ten years, said Chaithawat.
Since the severity of the two cases is different, he said that the party needs more time to defend itself, claiming that the 15-day extension granted by the charter court is insufficient. Nevertheless, he said that the party will do its best within the limited time provided.
The Move Forward party leader insists that the fact-finding process, to determine whether the party should be dissolved, has not yet been finalised, especially the issue of the party being blamed for attempting to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.
Chaithawat also said that the party’s MPs are not overly concerned about the prospect of dissolution by the court, with the matter having been discussed within the party on several occasions.
The party is scheduled to present its written defence to the court on May 20, after the court agreed to extend the deadline by 15 days.
