Amnesty debacle shows the moral vacuum in Thai politics
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Re: 'Another fine mess you got us into', Letters, November 15.
For once I am in agreement with Richard Bowler. In particular when he highlights the fact that, following the amnesty bill debacle, lowly red-shirt supporters continue to languish in jail, lacking as they do the contacts, power or influence to extricate themselves from the clutches of the legal system.
But it has not been widely reported, and is not mentioned by Mr Bowler, that several of the most prominent red-shirts have said, as have Suthep Thaugsuban and Abhisit Vejjajiva, that they reject any amnesty for themselves, and are ready to defend themselves in court. Hopefully they will all get a fair trial.
This amnesty bill episode again reveals the moral vacuum in Thai politics, but that is not a recent phenomenon, nor is it exclusively to be blamed on the current government. Indeed, some of the most prominent critics of Thaksin and Pheu Thai have past records that would not stand up to close scrutiny.
The current demonstrations, including especially those by groups who wish to overthrow the government by another coup and replace it with some form of undemocratic system, will hopefully end in failure. The electorate will then have the opportunity to pass a verdict on the government’s performance.
Robin Grant
