Abhisit comes under attack over PTT energy project

       Senator Ruengkrai Leekitwattana has asked the Election Commission to investigate possible constitutional violations by the prime minister for seeking cabinet endorsement for a planned PTT Plc investment in an energy substitution programme.
       The senator believes Abhisit Vejjajiva's direction and the cabinet's endorsement of the 113.8 billion baht investment on May 6,2009, is in breach of Articles 266 and 268 of the constitution.
       The articles prohibit the prime minister and the cabinet from interfering in the operations of a state enterprise or an enterprise in which the state has a major shareholding.
       The investment comes under the government's second economic stimulus package.
       Mr Ruengkrai said although the Administrative Court ruled on Dec 14,2007,that PTT Plc was no longer a state com-pany, but a private organisation under the public company law, the Finance Ministry still held more than 50% of the company's shares.
       Cabinet approval for PTT to invest more than 100 billion baht was a violation of the constitution, the senator said in a letter to Election Commission chairman Apichart Sukhagganond.
       Mr Ruengkrai and Senator Paiboon Samsiripong complained during the upper house debate yesterday on the 2010 budget bill that the government did not even have the good manners to send a cabinet minister to attend the session.
       They said the government should not take the Senate for granted and assume it would rubber stamp the bill.
       Other senators criticised the bill for duplicating spending plans and were not convinced it would live up to government claims that it would significantly benefit the public.