Kanit deserves thanks for his courage

Despite its lack of legal investigative power, the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand’s sparks do put the 2010 havoc to a higher level of credulity – soldiers did use excessive force and real bullets, hooded men were circumstantially linked to rioters, Abhisit failed to prevent abuses of all kinds, politicians used the lese majeste law for their gains, the protest leaders failed to keep promises of non-violence, some judges appeared not neutral, and some media incited the public with rampant hate speech and propaganda.

With that finger-pointing, your writer chided TRCT for a “missed opportunity to establish truth and reconciliation” and also being biased and therefore not believable. Unbelievable! First, TRCT was appointed to report and not to prosecute. Second, truth in a riot of this magnitude is not easy to establish but circumstances of many sources do help. Even a murderer can be convicted without locating the victim’s body because of overwhelming circumstantial evidence. Third, some TRCT members may appear biased but for the calibre of a chairman of Kanit Na Nakorn, a former top public prosecutor, that citation ignores this chairman’s presence. 

I venture to guess that Khun Kanit no longer has ambition and greed in life just like most aged retirees. But for the love of the country, he even dared to call for the man who was the main cause of the havoc to retire from Thai politics and stay offshore from Thailand just like the sacrifice made by Pridi Banomyong. That tells you that this old man has given deep thought as to how to reach reconciliation quickly. I am most grateful for his courage in lending his name to cure our ills.

Songdej Praditsmanont

Bangkok