[Tlc] T-Charnvit Kasetsiri petition

[justinm at ucr.edu]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/worldhotnews/read.php?newsid=30071540
 
Charnvit in charter campaign
The former rector of Thammasat University has launched a public campaign to propose four changes to the 2007 Constitution. 


THE NATION

Charnvit Kasetsiri wants the government to amend the charter in accordance with international standards, which the 1997 Constitution had adopted but were torn up after the coup on September 19, 2006. 


His proposals include a change from "The Kingdom of Thailand" to "The Kingdom of Siam", abolition of the Senate and the return of provincial status to Bangkok's Thon Buri district. 


Abolishing the Senate would save the country money, he said. 


The Senate is irrelevant for democracy in our country since the first constitutional monarchy was introduced in 1932, said Charnvit, who is also a historian. 


Charnvit said the word "Siam" was a more suitable name as the Kingdom was home to more than 50 ethnic groups, not only Thais. 


Demanding a new law to return provincial status to Thon Buri, the historian said Thon Buri had once been a province with a great history but had been destroyed by undemocratic rule since 1971. 


Charnvit has asked members of the public to support his proposal by visiting http://www.petitiononline.com/SIAM2008/petition.html














______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
2617 Humanities Building
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu