'Climate of trust' is needed for amnesty bill

The Pheu Thai Party has to create a climate of trust so that the amnesty bill can be discussed and amended at the committee level to pre-empt opposition from both inside and outside Parliament, a legal expert said yesterday.

Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, vice rector of Thammasat University, said Pheu Thai would want to do what could be done first. Since the Bt2-trillion loan bill would not be ready in time, Pheu Thai had no choice but to expect the amnesty bill at least to pass its first reading.

"The second reading is when [MPs] can discuss the changes on issues where [they] still disagree. But the point is how they will create trust among the opposition that such changes can be discussed and will happen. If Pheu Thai just pushes for three readings in a row, strong opposition in Parliament will surface. What about outside Parliament then?" he said.

Prinya made the comment after the government whip and the ruling Pheu Thai Party yesterday revealed their decision to back the amnesty bill proposed by Pheu Thai MP Worachai Hema as the first agenda item for the new parliamentary session on August 7.

Transparency promised

The government insisted it would not resort to underhanded tactics to speed up passage of the bill or dissolve the House of Representatives in case of any political mishap.

MP Amnuay Klangpa, the chief government whip, said the bill would be subject to standard procedures and would not be passed in three readings at a single sitting. Police will be called in if any situation warranting such action develops during the debate.

Any decision on possibly incorporating the other amnesty bills tabled by Pheu Thai party list MPs Niyom Worapanya and Chalerm Yoobamrung into the Worachai bill would rest with the MPs, he said.

Pheu Thai MP Preechapol Pongpanit said three motions would be deliberated when the House convenes on August 1. The second and third readings of the fiscal 2014 budget bill would be held on August 14 and 15. The schedule for the Bt2-trillion loan bill for infrastructure and transport projects has yet to be set.

Phumtham Wechayachai, secretary-general of the Pheu Thai Party, said it had resolved that the Worachai bill would be deliberated on August 7.

The bill, which pardons all groups of whatever political colour except protest leaders, would help bring about national reconciliation, he said.

The timing for the amnesty bill is not fixed and it would be decided later whether outsiders involved in the political rallies would be appointed as special members of the House committee to be set up to vet the bill.

Udomdej Rattanasathien, an adviser to the government whips, said Pheu Thai did not take up the people’s amnesty bill proposed by the relatives of those killed during the 2010 political riots because it would take a long time for the legislation to course through proper proceedings.

Pheu Thai party list MP Apiwan Wiriyachai said before joining the whip meeting that the party resolved to back the Worachai bill and not those of Niyom or Chalerm, even though those bills had been accepted for deliberation.

‘People’s bill’ to be considered

Pheu Thai did not discriminate against the people’s bill sponsored by Payao Akahad, mother of Kamolket, a paramedic who was fatally shot during the political turmoil. Under that bill, pardons would be limited, for instance only to those charged with petty offences.

Apiwan acknowledged that former Parliament president Ukrit Mongkolnavin had warned the party about the constitutionality of the Worachai bill. However, the problem can be solved by redefining the word "leaders’’ or removing the word from the bill during the second reading, he said.

Democrat MP Rachada Dhnadirek said the party’s Shadow Cabinet agreed to insist on calling for the government MPs to withdraw all old amnesty bills and consider the new bill proposed by the relatives of the 2010 political turmoil.

If the Worachai bill is taken up in Parliament, the Democrats could only vote against the bill in principle at its first reading. However, the Democrats would step up their "Reveal the Truth" rallies to make people understand why they should not allow the law to be passed.

"If there’s no pressure from the civic sector, if the people see no importance in this issue, Pheu Thai has no reason to delay and the law will likely be passed within three months," she said.

Payao and Punsak Srithep, father of 17-year-old Samapun, who was killed in the crossfire during the 2010 violence, last week submitted the group’s proposed amnesty bill to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and met with her again yesterday.

The group also went to promote the draft among the MPs of the Bhum Jai Thai and Chart Thai Pattana parties.