Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngarm said Friday that censure debate could be held behind closed doors if the debate touches on matter which may compromise national security.
He made the above statement when he was asked by one reporter whether the Opposition’s no-confidence debate against the government could be held behind closed doors.
Wissanu said that there had been a case before that the government or the MPs proposed a debate to be held behind closed doors because of the sensitivity of the issue to be debated.
According to Section 127 of the Constitution, the meetings of the lower House, the Senate or the joint sitting of the two houses must be open. One one-fourths of the members of the lower House, the Senate or the two houses in a joint sitting can ask for a closed session,
A closed session or a meeting held behind closed doors mean that all outsiders who are not lawmakers, ministers and officials concerned must leave the meeting chamber. Live or footage broadcast of the session is also banned.
The Opposition is expected to grill Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as their main target over the oath issue which is regarded by the government as a sensitive issue involving the Monarchy.
The exact date of the censure debate is yet to be fixed, but the Opposition wants the debate to take place before the parliament goes into recess on September 19.
