Country must come first, Kanit warns govt, court
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National reconciliation will take time and requires patience, TRCT chief says
Kanit Na Nakorn, chairman of the Truth for National Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT), warned both the Yingluck Shinawatra government and the Constitution Court yesterday to place national interest before political confrontation that could get out of control.
Kanit said national reconciliation took time and required patience as well as cooperation from all sides, and any move to rush the process would lead to distrust.
He added that Parliament’s attempt to rush the national reconciliation bill was one of the factors that might lead to conflict in society. The move is affecting the national reconciliation climate, Kanit said, and could lead to violence.
The TRCT chairman urged the ruling Pheu Thai Party in particular to review its decision to rush through the third reading of the reconciliation bill, so as to reduce the climate of conflict and division.
Parliament should organise a public forum to attract wide feedback on various reconciliation bills so that society can participate and be informed and understand the details of the bills that include amnesty and legal absolution, he said.
Kanit also criticised the upheaval inside Parliament on May 30-31, saying it had set an “inappropriate standard”, and he called for all parties to take responsibility for what happened.
He also urged the Constitution Court to maintain strict impartiality in the ongoing confrontation between the court and Parliament. It should be extra-careful and rigorous in the current delicate time before making any ruling, otherwise there would be doubt that the court was really upholding justice.
The TRCT chairman also called on the public to respect the democratic system with His Majesty the King as head of state and to respect freedom of expression under the Constitution and adhere to peaceful means for handling conflicts.
Kanit also urged the authorities overseeing street protests to respect people’s rights under the Constitution and adhere to international standards in dealing with protesters.
The last point made by Kanit was that all political parties must recognise that conflicts have led to huge losses for Thai society already – and that all parties are requested not to do anything that would make matters worse and try to ensure no violent confrontation will recur.
