More to reconciliation than amnesty: slain officer's wife
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The wife of an Army commander killed in a clash two years ago yesterday during a red shirt anti-government protest urged the government not to make granting amnesty the sole focus of efforts to achieve reconciliation
Nicha Hirunburana Thuwatham said yesterday that there are four factors in reconciliation – finding facts, entering the justice process, providing compensation and granting amnesty.
“We cannot just touch on any of the issues and claim that is reconciliation. The four steps must be done in that order,” Nicha said. “I want an explanation on why the fact-finding step has been skipped. They are now jumping to the amnesty step.”
She said a rush to amnesty, without sufficient participation of the different parties in the reconciliation process, would do more harm than good to the country.
“We don’t know the exact meaning of ‘reconciliation’. The word has been used so often, it’s become a cliche. In fact, to reach reconciliation, you need acceptance from all sides,” she said.
Nicha’s husband Colonel Romklao Thuwatham was killed on the night of April 10, 2010, near the Democracy Monument when grenades were fired at his unit. Romklao was among six soldiers killed in the incident. Armed men in black were blamed for the deaths and injuries of many people, including red shirt protesters and soldiers.
A religious ceremony was held late yesterday morning at Bowon Niwet Wihan Temple in memory of the soldiers and civilians killed in the clash two years ago. Among those attending the event were Nicha, senior Army officers including First Army Region commander Lt-General Udomdej Sutabutr, opposition Democrat Party deputy leader Korn Chatikavanij, People’s Alliance for Democracy spokesman Panthep Puapongpan, and multicoloured shirt group leader Dr Tul Sitthisomwong.
Nicha said she shared the feelings of people whose family members and loved ones were killed or injured in the political unrest two years ago.
She said she has come out publicly because she felt that two years’ time was enough to collect facts about her husband’s death. “There was some progress but then there seemed to be a change. I don’t want to make trouble; I just sincerely want to know the answer,” she said.
At the Khok Wua intersection, where a bomb attack on Romklao’s unit took place, some 20 Democrat MPs led by Korn placed white wreaths in memory of those killed in the April 10 incident. Some other people attending the event wore black T-shirts with the message “The truth will be known”. One minute of silence was also observed.
Separately, the red shirts held an event at the nearby Democracy Monument yesterday in memory of the protesters killed on the same day.
