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Democrat says Thai-Lao MOU on dam construction may violate charter
by Amrit Rashmisrisethi
August 5, 2008
Source : National News Bureau, Public Relations Department of Thailand
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/thailand/democrat-says-thai-lao-mou-on-dam-construction-may-violate-charter_10080143.html
Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party Kraisak Chunhavan (ไกรศักดิ์
ชุณหะวัณ) says the government's signing of a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) with Laos on the construction of Ban Kum
(บ้านกุ่ม) Dam in Ubon Ratchathani province may violate the
constitution.
According to Mr Kraisak, the MOU was signed by Prime Minister Samak
Sundaravej and former Foreign Affairs Minister Noppadon Pattama. Mr
Kraisak says the MOU may violate Article 190 of the Constitution as it
is an international agreement which must receive approval from the
parliament before it is signed. In addition, the deputy leader says
the dam construction has no environmental impact assessment and the
construction of any dam at Mekong River is prohibited if it is not
approved by the Mekong Committee consists of representatives of
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
Mr Kraisak also says the MOU previously had stated that the Italian-
Thai Development Plc and the Asia Corp Holding were responsible for
the construction but the Cabinet meeting later used the word private
sector instead of the names of the two companies. The Democrat party
will assign its legal team to study the MOU before requesting the
Constitutional Court to rule on it, Mr Kraisak says. |
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