Key reconciliation decisions to be made in Parliament: PM

“I want to see national reconciliation, peace, equality and impartial law for every Thai citizen,” she said.

However, Yingluck said the final outcome of reconciliation would hinge on the legislative deliberation.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung might have aired his opinions on amnesty and reconciliation recently, but Parliament has yet to debate the issue properly, she explained.

She also added that she did not believe any particular individual could dominate or sway the collective decision made by the legislative vote.

Pheu Thai MP Natthawut Saikua said he was unaware of Chalerm’s draft on reconciliation.

The House committee on reconciliation has commissioned a study on a road map before taking the next step of outlining how the political turmoil can be ended, he said, adding that the panel was not the government’s puppet.

He said he was confident that the legislation to end political strife would be successful, as it would be based on lessons from several countries.
Democrat MP Nakorn Machim said Chalerm could not tell the committee how it should do its job.

“The committee members from Pheu Thai have not had confrontations with opposition lawmakers on how to bring about reconciliation,” he said.

Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban said he opposed Chalerm’s idea to grant amnesty to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as part of the reconciliation plan.

Granting Thaksin amnesty would only widen social divisions, he said, adding that making the words amnesty and reconciliation mean the same would only provoke people.

He reminded Chalerm that his push for amnesty might have pleased his boss Thaksin, but it undermined public confidence in this government.