Pardon petition handed to Pracha: dept
The Corrections Department has finished checking the more than three million names supporting a petition seeking a royal pardon for fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, director-general Chartchai Suthiklom said yesterday.
Out of 3.6 million signatures, two million were verified against census records, while the others contained irregularities, mostly regarding last names, Chartchai said.
The director-general said he had submitted his findings to Justice Minister Pracha Promnok for consideration, according to established procedure. His department's work in relation to the petition, therefore, was done, he said.
Last week, a pro-red-shirt weekly published an article asking what had happened to the petition, which was handed to authorities two years ago.
The anonymous article in the latest edition of Maha Prachachon calls on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Pracha to follow the issue up with the Corrections Department, which oversees the royal pardon process and regulations.
