Reconciliation talks set to start
THE FIRST three political parties are set to join the initial round of talks today with the reconciliation preparation committee overseen by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan.
Defence Ministry permanent secretary General Chaichan Changmongkol, who chairs a subpanel solicitฌing opinions, will meet representatives from the New Aspiration Party (NAP), the Farmer Network of Thailand Party (FNTP) and the Commoner Party of Thailand (CPT).
The parties are being invited in alphabetical order of party name, the ministry’s spokesperson General Kongcheep Tantravanich said.
The three parties are expected to discuss 11 issues formulated by Prawit’s committee – including reconciliation, politics, inequality and reforms – to help draft an “agreement of truth” expected to be ready for parties’ endorsement by April.
While the NAP used to be a prominent party, whose thenleader General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh won an elecฌtion and became premier in 1996, the other two parties are relatively young with niche platforms. The 10yearold FNTP appeals directly at farmers and labourers while the CPT, set up in April 2014, focuses on amending the lese majeste law. The current NAP was reregistered in 2002 after Chavalit merged the original party with the now defunct Thai Rak Thai Party of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Since then, the NAP has been headฌed by former education minister Chingchai Mongkoltham.
Major parties are scheduled to join the talks, such as Chart Thai Pattana tomorrow and the Democrats on Friday.Chart Thai Pattana will be represented by 15 figures including its leader Wannarat Channukul, spokesperson Chalitrat Chandrubeksa said. “We would also like to see other political blocs join this reconciliation effort, for the government to consider as practice for the future,” Chalitrat said.
Meanwhile, former Chart Thai Pattana MP Lieutenant Prapas Limprapan said it was not unusual for politicians to have different opinions. “But I believe that political conflicts can be resolved if opinions are shared from every side,” Prapas said.
Democrat deputy leader Ongart Klampaiboon, meanwhile, urged the junta government to engage the public more, by opening public hearings, in order to achieve workable reconciliation.
“They [the junta] should not express anything in suggesting that they already have a certain reconciliation approach in mind,” Ongart said “Rather, they should be neutral and open-minded when listening to all sides.”
