BANGKOK, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Constitutional Court on Monday accepted a petition to rule on the legality of a recently enacted emergency decree that authorizes massive state borrowing for energy crisis relief and infrastructure transition.
In a statement, the court received a petition from 133 members of parliament, alleging that the emergency decree authorizing the Ministry of Finance to borrow money to cushion the impacts of the energy crisis and support the country's energy transition fails to meet the constitutional requirements.
Following the acceptance of the case, the court ordered the Cabinet to submit a formal clarification and relevant evidence within seven days.
The decree, promulgated on May 9, grants the ministry the authority to borrow up to 400 billion baht (about 12.26 billion U.S. dollars). Under two primary objectives, it aims to assist citizens, farmers, and businesses impacted by the energy crisis.
It also facilitates the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy by promoting eco-friendly vehicles, installing electric charging stations, and developing skills for a new energy economy.
The Thai government justified the circumvention of the standard parliamentary budgetary process by citing severe impacts from regional conflicts in the Middle East.
According to the decree, Thailand's heavy reliance on energy imports has led to surging production and living expenses, necessitating urgent and unavoidable government intervention to protect the Southeast Asian nation's economic stability. ■
