More and more red shirts taking a stand against bill
OPPOSITION against the controversial blanket amnesty bill within the red-shirt movement is growing as the Pheu Thai Party refuses to budge and continues trying to push it through Parliament.
The move is being loudly opposed by activists and intellectuals in the red-shirt camp, such as Thammasat University historian Somsak Jeamteerasakul, political scientist Sirote Klampaiboon, Chulalongkorn University historian Suthachai Yimprasert and former Thammasat University rector Charnvit Kasetsiri to name a few.
Separately, Red Sunday group leader Sombat Boonngam-anong – who led a 200-strong protest against the bill on Sunday – is calling on more red-shirt supporters to show up on November 10 to make their voices heard.
In a post on Facebook, Somsak said the loss of nearly 100 lives in 2010 would be “in vain” if the blanket amnesty bill were pushed through.
Red-shirt lese majeste detainee Somyos Prueksakasemsuk, former editor of the Voice of Taksin and Red Power magazines, said both the Pheu Thai Party and Thaksin Shinawatra would be making “a foolish move”, akin to “digging one’s own grave”, if they continued pushing for the bill.
Jakrapob Penkair, a former Thaksin aide and ex-PM’s Office Minister who is living overseas to evade lese majeste charges, earlier this week posted a message on Facebook calling on the ruling party not to betray those who struggled for democracy and the future generation.
Meanwhile, Thaksin’s lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, who enjoys a large following on Twitter, tweeted on Monday: “The proposed blanket amnesty provides absolutely no benefit... I am deeply saddened by Pheu Thai’s position.”
Red-shirt leader and MP Weng Tojirakarn said yesterday that three red-shirt MPs would abstain from voting in the second reading of the amnesty bill. He explained that this abstention was necessary for two reasons: to not confuse people about the red’s stance on the issue and to not lend support to the opposition Democrat Party.
He added that he was willing to be punished for going against the Pheu Thai Party, which has been pushing for the bill to be passed. The other two expected to abstain are Deputy Commerce Minister Nattawut Saikua and MP Worachai Hema.
Meanwhile, Thaksin’s son Panthongtae posted a message on Facebook saying he and his siblings understood why the red shirts were against the blanket amnesty bill.
“Sud Soi [all the way] amnesty is a moot point because we [the Shinawatra family] would be satisfied with a retrial of cases,” he said, asking for an appellate review.
