Reds have no objection to 'secret' Cabinet meeting

Chainarin Kularb-um, who hosts the online red-shirt television website, democracy4.blogspot.com, said he had no problems. “This is part of the national reconciliation process. The red shirts have no [negative] reaction, it’s not a big deal and I’m not surprised by it.

What’s more important is how we can democratise the country and help other red shirts still in jail. However, the amnesty should be comprehensive.”

Pratchaya Surakamchonrot, who is an independent researcher, said it was still too early to judge the issue and no details were available yet. However, he expressed concerns about the Cabinet discussion lacking transparency.

“If you want to help Thaksin you should do it the correct way. They should be brave enough to do it transparently and seriously talk about the principles. The Cabinet should clearly say if this meeting had really been held, otherwise it will get attacked. They should be able to make it transparent.”

A middle-ranking red-shirt bureaucrat, who asked only to be referred to as Noi, said she had no problems whatsoever with the plan and that Thaksin should not even have to seek amnesty as he was “framed”.

“I don’t think he did anything wrong,” she said, alleging that the judicial process under which Thaksin was tried and convicted for the abuse of power took place after the 2006 coup that ousted him and was politically motivated.

“If I were [Thaksin] I wouldn’t even be asking for amnesty. When was he convicted and by what sort of people?” she asked.

She also questioned the ethics of the former junta-appointed prime minister Surayud Chulanont, a Privy Council member who was found to own land inside a forest reserve and yet got away with no punishment.

As for what she thought about the growing dissatisfaction among some Thais about the “secret” Cabinet meeting, Noi said: “If those on the other side want to oppose it, then let them do that. We can’t control them. They have an axe to grind, not us.”