Reconciliation panel's report now with Reform Council head

NRC chairman Thienchay Kiranandana would consider when to place the item on the agenda for consideration, or he could call a special session before sending the report to the government, he said.

The committee held a press conference on Friday to announce that it had completed the report and suggested six key recommendations to end the political deadlock and help the country reconcile after years of conflict.

The recommendations were: forge a better understanding of past political conflicts among members of the public; fact finding and delivering information at the right time; paying compensation; promoting an environment that supports people of different political beliefs living together peacefully, including ongoing major reform; and implementing preventative measures against violence, and amnesty measures.

The committee proposed amnesty for all involved political conflicts in the years up to 2005, but this would exclude people involved in serious criminal offences or human rights violations, corruption, and lese majeste offences.

Thienchay said earlier he would forward the report to the whip to place it on the NRC’s agenda. The date set at present is August 17, which is in the last week that the NRC will work before holding a meeting to vote on the draft charter. 

The NRC said the reconciliation report was not on its set reform agenda but it was an important issue, and that was the reason why he set up the committee to specially study the issue. The council would consider the report before making recommendations to the committee for a final review. 

The report was expected to be resubmitted to it and the NRC would look into it before sending it to the government, Thienchay said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam rejected a call for the National Council of Peace and Order chief to enforce Article 44 of the interim charter to fast-track the reconciliation process. The recommendation, made by Democrat Party legal chief Wirat Kalyasiri, was for the National Legislative Assembly whip to review the reconciliation law and propose that the Assembly pass it.

Wissanu said three questions needed to be asked as a pre-condition for Article 44 to be used for this purpose. They were whether it was necessary, whether people at a policy level want to do that, and what impacts would follow. 

Wissanu said these questions needed to be contemplated seriously, and the government had yet to do that.