Apology needed to pave way for reconciliation : Gothom
Play
All sides involved in the 2010 bloodshed should both step forward to apologise for the violence caused, paving way for reconciliation and forgiveness, instead of passing blame, peace advocate Gothom Arya said on Friday.
Gothom, also director of Mahidol University’s Research Centre for Peace Building, said the country would be mired in animosity so long as the opposing sides refused to be held accountable for the political strife.
“None of us are strictly angels or devils; our actions are a mixture of good and bad,” he said.
He said he believed, under the prevailing political climate, even if the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand issued a comprehensive and irrefutable report outlining what happened in 2010, the opposing sides would still insist on their version of truth.
The fact is deaths and injuries were inflicted on protesters as well as security forces, hence he suspects all sides involved in the violence had blood on their hands, he said.
He called for a stop to passing the blame. All sides should accept their respective responsibilities for triggering violence, he said.
The mutual apology would lessen the bitter feelings and allow the opposing sides to engage in a meaningful dialogue to sort out the legal wrangling, he said.
A first step might be to grant amnesty for protesters accused of violating the emergency decree and issue a pardon for those convicted for emergency violations, he said. Other issues should then be discussed and settled in accordance with the progression of the reconciliation process, he added.
