Campaign Committee for the Amendment of Article 112 back at work

The Nation reports that the Campaign Committee for the Amendment of Article 112 is back on the job, and has sent “a petition to House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont to review his decision rejecting the 112 amendment drafted by the committee.”

Last October Somsak “rejected the draft amendment on the grounds the group had no constitutional right to table the amendment draft because Article 112 – which involves lese majeste offences – was not a Constitutional law.”

The academics have responded that this is incorrect as “Article 112 was under chapter 3 of the Criminal Code, featuring the rights and freedom of Thai citizens …[and] is enforced to limit the rights and freedom of expression, and punishment under the law is 15 years maximum, which also adversely affects the rights and liberty of the individual.” They argue that  dismissed Somsak’s rejection “was in violation of Article 30 of the Administrative Procedures 1996.”