Amnesty issue returns to haunt Thai politics once more

Thai society is still haunted by the political crisis and trouble unleashed after the failed attempt by the Pheu Thai-led coalition to push for enactment of a blanket amnesty – a crisis that eventually ended in the May 22 coup.
Now, the idea of granting amnesty to political offenders has been floated again by Anek Laothamthat, a former academic and a political party leader, currently a member of the National Reform Council and the Constitution Drafting Committee.
Anek reasoned that those on all sides who committed political offences from 2005 to 2014 now emphatically wanted to start a new life without being haunted by legal issues. He said these political offenders should not have to fight their cases after a new constitution is enacted.
As a result, he said, there should be a way out for them.
Anek said his version of a new amnesty bill would cover people from both sides who took part in protests and riots from 2005 until the coup in 2014. But the bill would not absolve those who caused death to others or who committed lese majeste offences.
So far, no one has seen the draft amnesty law and only Anek has mentioned it. He said the public should not discuss the amnesty issue too much, because it could lead to opposition that would eventually bog it down.
However, now that the idea has been floated, it has drawn reaction from many, including Worachai Hema, a red-shirt leader. He supported the idea because he once sponsored an amnesty bill for ordinary protesters, not demonstration leaders, and his plan was called the “middle-of-the-soi” bill. However, the House of Representatives at that time changed his bill to an “end-of-the-soi” bill during its second reading.
Of course, Worachai’s stand won support from many red shirts because they had wanted non-leaders to be absolved by an amnesty law since before the political crisis. This stand by Worachai and the red shirts is tantamount to asking the other side whether it is still opposed to political amnesty.
Several members of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee and the Democrats declined to express a clear-cut stand on the issue, saying they wanted to see the bill first. They also suggested that groups eligible for amnesty should be clearly defined – and the issue should be studied prudently to prevent another round of crises.
Nipit Intharasombat, a leading member of the Democrats, was the only one expressing opposition to the bill. He reasoned that individuals who deserved amnesty had already served their term and no longer needed to be absolved.
However, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has indicated an amnesty bill would not be pursued at the moment. He said his government would first give priority to solving national problems.
“Those who committed wrongdoing must face the judicial process. Now, there is still a judicial process, isn’t there?” Prayut asked.
“The Administrative Court, the Constitution Court, public prosecutors, police and the National Anti-Corruption Commission still exist. So they must be allowed to work,” he said.
After all, an amnesty cannot be granted out of the blue. Society must first know the truth and the wrongdoers must first admit their guilt.
Most of all, the public still remembers how the Pheu Thai-led coalition changed the middle-of-the-soi bill to an end-of-the-soi amnesty bill during second reading – and many are still dissatisfied.
If all sides do not agree on the issue, amnesty may never be granted to anyone.