Activists petition Council of State against amnesty
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A team of activists on Thursday petitioned the Council of State against the government's royal amnesty draft, which they believe would benefit runaway ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
The team is led by Dr Tul Sutthisomwong, leader of the Network for Citizen Volunteers Protecting the Land.
The petition cited widespread media reports that the government planned to issue a decree of the annual royal amnesty to mark HM the King’s birthday in December.
The draft incorporates extra changes to this year’s annual amnesty to benefit Thaksin, brother of PM Yingluck.
During a confidential Cabinet forum Tuesday, limited to only a handful of ministers and officials, it was decided that people convicted of corruption would be entitled to receive this year’s amnesty.
Last year’s royal decree, under which prisoners were released to mark the monarch’s birthday, excluded people convicted of drug trading and corruption.
Tul said the proclaimed changes to the annual amnesty included another key point that would fully benefit Thaksin, who has yet to serve a day in prison.
The changes to the bill, particularly to cover people convicted of corruption in the amnesty, were aimed at benefiting Thaksin, because he is the only one that meets the criteria.
Tul said that the network therefore wished express its opinions to the Council of State via its Secretariat against the draft because the draft has been amended to benefit an individual. It hoped that the Secretariat would consider the petition and make the correct recommendations to the Cabinet.
Tul added that the network would like to invite people to join the rally in front of the Rama VI statue on Friday, starting at 4pm.
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US secretary of state visits Thai flood victims
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday visited victims of Thailand's floods at a shelter in Bangkok before flying on to Indonesia to attend an Asean summit.
Clinton spent about an hour at the Rajamangala National Stadium flood relief centre, where she pressed her hands together to give the traditional Thai greeting to victims of the floods, the worst to hit the kingdom in decades, and hear their stories.
“I’m 80 years old and have never seen Hillary Clinton before,” said Joy Klongkamwan, whose house in Rangsit district has been under a metre of water for the past month.
“Staying here is nice,” Joy said of the flood relief centre. “I have a place to sleep and there is plenty to eat.”
The secretary of state conducted a 10-minute interview with the “Phuying tung Phuying” (“Women to Women”), a popular TV programme, but otherwise did not talk to the media Thursday.
At the press conference Wednesday night, Clinton pledged an additional 10 million dollars in aid to assist Thailand in its flood relief and rehabilitation efforts.
“In the weeks ahead, the US will identify ways we can provide both civilian and military assistance to help save and restore lives, and to support Thailand’s long-term recovery," Clinton said.
Much of the aid will go to draining and refurbishing Don Mueang Airport, Bangkok's old airport, that has been closed for more than a month because of floodwaters.
The US previously contributed 1.1 million dollars, primarily to the Thai Red Cross.
