KPI may withdraw report : deputy secretary general
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The King Prajadhipok's Institute may withdrawal its report on reconciliation measures if the House will rely on a majority vote to bring about mending fences, KPI deputy secretary general Woothisarn Tanchai said Friday.
“A majority vote is not a solution to the political conflict,” he said.
Woothisarn said the House committee on reconciliation, chaired by MP Sonthi Boonyaratglin, should try to form a consensus on reconciliation measures as per the KPI’s report.
The KPI report should be viewed and implemented in connection with the work by the Truth For Reconciliation Commission of Thailand, he said, pointing out that the truth about the root cause of the conflict should be established before the House committee choosing the reconciliation measures.
He was reacting to Sonthi’s earlier remarks which hinted at adopting the measures without awaiting for the completion of the TRCT work, which is expected in July.
He warned that if Sonthi acted in haste before uncovering the truth behind the conflict, the country might plunge into deeper social divisions.
He said he would not allow the KPI report to become a political tool for vested interests.
The reconciliation measures will work only after all sides have managed to ensure the fencemending climate through engaging in a dialogue, he said, arguing that such climate has not prevailed because the opposition camps are still confronting one another through their respective stands.
He said all sides, not just political parties, should be convinced to enter the dialogue in order to form a consensus on the conflict resolution.
The House committee will likely trigger a new round of turmoil if it pushes through two controversial measures a blanket amnesty for those involved in the political disturbances and a repeal of the work of the Asset Examination Committee, seen as a pretext to rescue fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, he said.
Under preliminary checks, the committee has the majority of 23 votes to support the blanket amnesty, followed by 22 votes for the repeal of the AEC work.
