Protesters seal off access to Parliament
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Lawmakers were denied access to the Parliament on Friday by anti-government protesters rallying outside Parliament to oppose the reconciliation bills expected to be considered today.
The yellow shirts led by the People’s Alliance for Democracy joined up with the multicoloured shirts led by Tul Sitthisomwong in sealing the Kan Ruen intersection on Rajvithee Road, the only access route to the Parliament.
Some Pheu Thai MPs sneaked out of Parliament by ducking under a wire fence. Unconfirmed reports suggest that ruling party MPs are looking for an alternative venue to convene a parliamentary session after so few MPs were able to make it to the House chamber.
PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan restated the group’s opposition to the reconciliation bills. However, he said he could not confirm whether or not the yellow shirts would storm Parliament.
He said it depended on the situation.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva on Thursday met urgently with Democrat MPs and later told a news conference that his party would do everything possible to thwart adoption of the reconciliation bills.
He said the proposed bill should not be called reconciliation as it will cause deep rifts both inside and outside the Parliament.
The content of the measures are also damaging to the legal principles of the state, annulling court verdicts in political cases, which will “whitewash” individuals who committed offences during the political turmoil, and removing the party dissolution law, Abhisit said.
He earlier pointed out that the bills would also help fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra move beyond his corruption cases without ever taking responsibility for them.
Abhisit said the Democrat party would fight against the illegitimate move to enact the bills and would do its utmost to oppose the bills.
He said his party would like to call people who love justice to express their views under the law, to show that the people and society did not want the proposed bill.
The Democrat party will support all moves against the bills, he said, provided that the actions are within the legal framework and in accordance with the Constitution.
The urgent party meeting followed the House of Representatives vote by 272 to 2 yesterday to move up four reconciliation bills for consideration today amid protests by the Democrat Party MPs. The vote followed a meeting of 35 standing committee chairpersons to decide whether the four bills were financially related.
After four hours of discussion, the committee chairpersons voted 22 to 1 that the bills were not financially related draft laws and that the House could proceed with deliberating the four reconciliation bills without endorsement from the prime minister.
