No invitation to the party

We thank you for your contribution to Thailand’s efforts towards reconciliation. We sincerely believe the valuable experiences shared during this meeting to be useful and instructive.

However, the follow-up meetings on September 3 did not include the Democrat Party. Moreover, the reason for our absence has been purposefully misrepresented by the government, through the organisers’ attempts to [claim] that we did not positively respond to invitations to the follow-up. 

Allow us to set the record straight. At no time were we informed, let alone invited, to the meetings scheduled for September 3. The only invitation received by us was for the September 2 event, to which we responded, stating our inability to attend due to the government’s refusal to postpone the highly controversial amnesty bill, until a conducive atmosphere and inclusive framework for dialogue between stakeholders has taken place. Instead, the government has repeatedly used intimidation against groups that have expressed dissenting views.

It is regrettable that the government goes against the spirit of any peace-building process. A deputy prime minister responsible for setting up the government’s reform committee said in an interview after the meeting that the government would continue to push forward the amnesty bill. This puts more heat on Thailand’s ongoing conflict.

The Democrat Party stands committed to peace and reconciliation. We firmly believe this must begin with an inclusive consultative process. However, this is unlikely to occur unless the government’s use of majority passage of its so-called amnesty bill, and of intimidation, ceases.

The Democrat Party of Thailand

Bangkok