Seksan backs away from the Nitirat group

He said he had agreed to support the group’s initial proposal seeking amendment to Article 112 of the Penal Code in relation to lese majeste, because his goal was to protect the monarchy.
Seksan, who was also a student leader during the 1973 uprising, said he had also put his name down because he been approached by some respected senior figures.
“I allowed became a supporter because I was asked to by some senior figures I respect. I also found that the proposal was within the framework of legal reform and its content was pro-humanity. More importantly, its goal was to protect the country’s key institution,” he said, referring to the monarchy.
Seksan is a member of Nitirat’s Campaign Committee for the Amendment of Article 112, which was launched on January 15 with the aim of collecting at least 10,000 signatures to push the amendment through Parliament.
In his letter that appeared yesterday on a column in Krungthep Turakij, a sister publication of The Nation, Seksan said he had to explain his standpoint on the matter in order to “avoid misunderstanding”.
He said he was not a leader of the campaign and that he only wanted to publicly express his views.
“The majority in society will eventually make the decision. I have no plans to get involved in any political campaign about this matter. I am tired with conflicts and want to spend my old-age peacefully,” the 62-year-old said. Seksan was previously the dean of Thammasat University’s Faculty of Political Science.
He also said that though the proposal for amending Article 112 had originated from Nitirat, “I have no connection with this group and, by no means, do I have anything to do with the proposals that came out of the group later.”
Seksan said he had learned about the Article 112 amendment campaign from a group of senior academics, and not Nitirat, which is comprised of academics in their 30s and 40s. “That was the only issue I was approached about,” he said in the letter.
He ended the letter by calling on all involved parties to “be careful about your moves and be kind to each other”.
Recently, Nitirat also called for constitutional amendments that include a requirement for new heads of state to be sworn in before assuming office and to vow to abide by and protect the constitution.
Earlier, another noted ex-student leader, Thirayuth Boonmi, warned that confrontations and conflict over the merits of the lese majeste law could go “beyond violence” and become “a very big” issue if not handled properly.
Thirayuth, a noted sociologist, said on Thursday that the conflict was essentially one between the red shirts – who support Nitirat’s amendment drive calling for a more “populist” society – and the yellow shirts who adhere to more traditional beliefs regarding the monarchy.
He added that any solution to the conflict must begin with both sides shedding their bias, though he admitted that he could not see any immediate solution that would appease both sides.
In a related development, Democrat Party deputy spokeswoman Chitpas Bhirombhakdi called on people loyal to the monarchy to gather at the Royal Plaza today to rally against the Nitirat drive.
“I am part of the younger generation that did not see His Majesty’s hard work first hand, but learned to respect him,” the 26-year-old said, adding that her anti-Nitirat campaign had nothing to do with the opposition Democrat Party.