Thaksin says amnesty bill unfairly distorted by his political opponents

In the statement, Thaksin said that his opponents had distorted the bill by saying it sought to whitewash him and provide an avenue for returning his seized assets whereas it was in fact aimed at helping the country move on from conflict and provide justice to victims of the 2006 coup.

“As a former prime minister, I respect different opinions of Thais but I cannot accept the use of false information to distort the issue and frame me and my family,” Thaksin said in the statement.

“My ultimate wish is to see Thais have a better life and a strong future and the country catch up with the changes of the world. It is sad that some groups of politicians still think that attacking me with false information will help them become popular. This tactic has been rejected by the majority of Thais as seen in election results during the past decade.”

Thaksin said the 2006 coup violated the rule of law and the post-coup cases against him were unfair toward him and his family.

“I absorbed this pain in the hope of seeing the country move forward. As a former prime minister, I realise that the benefits of the country and the people must come before my interests. Now, what I want to see is reconciliation of Thais and I would like Thais to have compassion for one another,” Thaksin said.

“Although I live abroad, I still love and care about the future of Thai children. I believe that the future of our children and the country will be stable only when our country has a rule of law that applies equally to all Thais equally and the country has genuine democracy. The decision of the majority Thais in an election must be respected and various organisations must use their power within the framework set by the Constitution. I hope that we will reach that state in the near future.”