Reconciliation to proceed despite Democrats' exit

Udomdej said the nine Democrats resigned after the House committee had already completed its report within the 150-day deadline. Furthermore, the report was submitted for the House deliberation, he added.
The today’s House-Senate session will be a non-voting meeting to give the greenlight for the House to debate the reconciliation measures as per the committee report, he said.
Since the current parliamentary session is restricted to enacting laws, the House needs the endorsement from the Senate if it is to debate a non-legislative issue, such as reconciliation.
Pheu Thai MP Samart Kaewmechai, speaking in his capacity as deputy committee chair for reconciliation, said the committee did not rush to draw conclusion nor neglect to review the reconciliation measures as per the recommendations of the King Prajadhipok’s Institute as alleged by the Democrats.
Samart said any reservations about the KPI report will be debated and resolved the House and not the committee.
The Democrats claimed that the committee’s push to repeal the Asset Examination Committee work was a pretext to rescue fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from his conviction and punishment.
Opposition chief whip Jurin Laksanawisit said the opposition lawmakers had no intent to block the reconciliation process.
The opposition merely wanted to call attention to a suspicious move by the government to invoke its majority to speed up the homecoming for Thaksin regardless of the consequences on the judicial system and the political strife, he said.
Samart countered that the Democrats have allowed their imagination to run wild because whether the Thaksin amnesty issue will happen hinges on a consensus in society.
He denied the coalition was resorting to trickery in order to rescue Thaksin.