Riot victims not facing legal action to be paid first
Compensation will be paid as soon as possible to victims of the recent political conflict who do not face any legal action, according to the head of a government panel dealing with rehabilitation and remedies.
Tongthong Chandrangsu, permanent secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office and chairman of the subcommittee on civil rehabilitation and other remedies, said after his panel’s meeting yesterday that compensation would not be paid immediately for cases in which the possible recipients were accused of wrongdoing.
“For cases without problems, cases in which the complainants have no legal cases, we will be able to pay compensation. But for cases in which there is doubt, we need time for investigation and careful examination,” Tongthong said.
He added that this did not mean people in the latter group would not be compensated. “We will look into the details case-by-case, in order to satisfy all involved,” he said.
Tongthong could not say exactly when those without legal problems would get their compensation. He said the final decision would be made by the government committee in charge of following up on recommendations by the Truth for Reconciliation Commission.
“The subcommittee will forward our report to the committee after we complete this matter on February 20,” he said.
Tongthong said compensation would first focus on cases involving dead, disabled and injured victims. In cases of death, compensation would be paid to dependants or close caregivers of the deceased who need not be their relatives.
He urged people who believed they were entitled to compensation to contact authorities, such as the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, instead of waiting to be contacted by officials. “We do not want to leave anyone out. The number will be more accurate if eligible persons contact the authorities,” he said.
Tongthong said his panel was also collecting information about business owners and protesters affected by the political conflict. These included vendors and shop owners whose businesses were adversely affected during protests, as well as people who lost their freedom, were detained, or prosecuted as a result of protest. The information collected would be used in paying correct compensation to those eligible, he said.
