Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanich on Thursday about-faced and called a meeting of the Senate to deliberate the amnesty bill tomorrow, instead of Monday, amid pressure from senators in the Group of 40 and continuing political protests on the streets.
The bill's passage early Friday morning last week by the House of Representatives, in the absence of the opposition, has drawn strong and widespread protests across the social spectrum.
The House on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to withdraw six other amnesty-related bills still on the agenda, and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra called for an end to the protests, promising her government will not pursue the blanket amnesty legislation if it is voted out by the Senate.
Mr Nikom this afternoon told an informal meeting of the Senate, chaired by Nonthaburi senator Direk Thuengfang, of his decision to exercise the power of the Senate speaker to schedule the meeting for Nov 8, bringing it forward from Monday, Nov 11, under Item 15 of the Senate's regulations.
The meeting will start at 2pm, he announced.
The speaker said his decision came after receiving letters from educational institutes, academics and various other organisations calling on the Senate to quickly deliberate the bill.
The leader of the Group of 40 senators, Gen Somjate Boonthanom, said ahead of the decision that Mr Nikom had lost the right to stay on as senate speaker. He accused Mr Nikom of having been lobbied to appease the government.
Samak Chaowapanan, an appointed senator, said if Friday's meeting ran short of a quorum Mr Nikom must be held responsible, since all senators thought the meeting to deliberate the bill would be on Nov 11.
Mr Nikom denied he had been lobbied. He insisted that he had already signed an order calling a meeting on Nov 8. He would not mind if there was not a quorum, he said.
Vicharn Sirichai-ekawat, an appointed senator, said he would attend tomorrow's meeting but was not sure there would be a quorum, and it might be postponed to Nov 11.
He said he did not understand why some senators might not want the bill to be moved forward for consideration on Friday, to quickly ease the tense political situation.