Thaksin 'hasn't abandoned reds'
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Pheu Thai MP Vorachai doubts authenticity of online criticism of ex-premier
Thaksin Shinawatra’s video link address last Saturday, in which he asked red shirts to forget about the past for the sake of reconciliation, is still a big issue people are debating.
Nattawut Saikua, the Deputy Agriculture Minister and a spokesperson for the red shirts, insisted yesterday that Thaksin’s words did not mean he had abandoned his allies.
“Thaksin has fought with us and stayed by the side of the red shirts all along. It’s not his character to turn his back on his friends and his supporters. He might be facing some sensitive issue that he can’t explain out loud. But listen from the heart, we will understand it,” he said.
Nattawut admitted that some red-shirt leaders might disagree or have been disappointed by Thaksin’s words but he said that was the way of a democracy. But he believed the red shirts would still have the same goal to fight for a real democracy.
“Whatever Thaksin says won’t change red-shirts’ attitudes to a real democracy. However, I trust Thaksin will prove himself one day.”
Nattawut said the government was making progress in uncovering culprits behind the political violence and the Democrat Party would not succeed if they thought they could secure the loyalty of the red shirts by sowing distrust over the former PM.
Thaksin’s comments on Saturday also drew a negative response in cyberspace, with some red-shirts disagreeing with Thaksin’s idea of reconciliation. But Pheu Thai MP Vorachai Hemma denied this.
“I would question how many per cent of real red shirts use the Internet socially. It might be folks acting stealthily – PAD or even Democrat people, who want to divide us, as we’ve seen the Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva trying to do,” Vorachai said.
He also clarified that Thaksin’s statement during his video link last Saturday wasn’t meant to isolate him, but was done to urge red shirts to retain their victory in the general election and accept a reconciliation bill to help them “bring back” justice.
Meanwhile, a group of 100 red shirts petitioned the government yesterday to grant an amnesty to all prisoners serving sentences for insulting the monarchy under Article 112 of the Criminal Code.
“The government should complete the amnesty process by June 12,” petitioner Anusorn Samithkul said.
Anusorn said an amnesty would prevent a repeat of the tragedy faced by lese majeste inmate Amphol Tangnoppakul, who died of cancer in prison before he could file for a pardon.
Government House official Sangiam Samranrat accepted the petition on the government’s behalf and promised to act on it in a speedy manner.
In March, some eight lese majeste inmates, including Amphol, lodged a joint petition asking for the government to intervene by pushing for a pardon. The eight decided to apply for a pardon via the government rather than to the King because they viewed their legal wrangling as politically motivated.
