Parliament, “Benja”, MP of Move Forward Party, lamented that this might be the last time she will debate in the parliament, ranting and raving that she regrets being in a position of honor but unable to create peace. She pleaded with the government to help fellow human beings after “Srettha” postponed answering a question about PTT being linked to purchasing weapons for the Myanmar military. “Chaiwatana-Wisut” stepped up to stop, saying that they should talk in private, warning about being careful about foreign affairs.
The House of Representatives meeting today (August 1), chaired by Mr. Padipat Santipada, First Deputy Speaker of the House, considered the oral question agenda. Ms. Benja Saengchan, MP for the Move Forward Party, raised a question about the plan to solve the connectivity problem of PTT and PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited, which operates in Myanmar. The Prime Minister assigned Mr. Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, to answer, but Mr. P
irapan asked to postpone his answer.
This caused Ms. Benja to stand up and debate that she intended to ask the Prime Minister because it was an important matter that the Thai government offered to be elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council amidst the situation of Thailand’s rights and freedom of expression that was still deteriorating and still being evasive and secretive about the situation of war crimes and the killing of people in our neighboring countries.
Ms. Benja continued that she was not surprised but disappointed with the Prime Minister’s stance in this case because the Prime Minister is the only one who can decide on the operations of PTT and PTT Exploration and Production, in which the government holds more than half of the shares and has been accused of being involved in providing funds for the Burmese military to buy weapons to wage war against the people. The parliament will be a place for the Prime Minister to explain to the people and the international community.
‘Cu
rrently, international organizations and the international community are trying to use every possible measure to seek peace and democracy in Myanmar, including condemnation, sanctions, and pressure. But has Thailand, Myanmar’s closest neighbor, tried to do anything today? To make matters worse, what the government is doing may undermine what the international community is doing to solve this problem,’ said Ms. Benja.
Ms. Benja further stated that the important mechanism that allows the Myanmar military to continue to wage war is not only Thai commercial banks that are accused of being tools of the Myanmar military, but also Thai state enterprises in which the government holds shares, such as PTT and PTT Exploration and Production, which are accused of being involved in supporting funds for the Myanmar military government through payments for gas from investment in projects located in Myanmar.
‘I would like to hear from the Prime Minister on how to stop sending money to the Myanmar military government to pre
vent all this income from leaking to the coup group and becoming a weapon to kill people,’ said Ms. Benja.
Ms. Benja also said that the Move Forward Party itself has a case at the Constitutional Court, and the verdict will be on August 7, 2024. Although she is confident in the party’s arguments and will not be dissolved as the Constitutional Court or society has ruled, as the public knows, anything can happen in this country. This debate may be the last in the House.
This caused Mr. Wisut Chainarun, MP for the Pheu Thai Party and Chief Whip of the Government, to stand up and interrupt the conversation, saying that the person answering the question did not come. Speaking like this caused the listener to misunderstand, and this matter affected international relations. Mr. Padipat then asked Ms. Bencha to be careful about foreign affairs.
This prompted Ms. Benja to promise and continue, ‘Until this moment, I do not regret that I may not be able to continue my duties in this parliament. However, I regret great
ly that in the moment when I can still perform this honorable duty on behalf of my fellow citizens, I cannot find a way to create peace for my fellow human beings. I cannot be a part of restoring democracy to Thailand and its neighboring countries.’
Ms. Benja concluded by saying that in our lives, how many opportunities will we have to help our fellow human beings, to save them from death and restore our country? I think this is the opportunity, so I would like to leave it with the Prime Minister, hoping that he will listen to that voice. The problem in Myanmar is a matter that goes beyond the Move Forward Party, but it is humanitarian assistance for all of humanity. Therefore, I would like to appeal to the Thai government not to let every baht of the Thai people become a tool to inhumanely slaughter people in neighboring countries.
At the end, Mr. Chaiwatana Tinrat, MP for Mahasarakham from the Pheu Thai Party, stood up to protest again, saying that members should be careful when talking about issues that
refer to foreign countries. If they really want to talk about this matter, it should be a secret meeting.
Source: Thai News Agency