Talks With Pheu Thai 'Positive' : Sanan

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RECONCILIATION TALK

Talks with Pheu Thai 'positive' : Sanan

By THE NATION

Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart yesterday received a warm welcome during his visit to the Pheu Thai Party headquarters to sell his idea of reconciliation.

In a positive response similar to that from the People's Alliance for Democracy, the main opposition party voiced support for Sanan's push for fence-mending. It also said it was not a direct party to the conflict and that it believed true reconciliation would hinge on just enforcement of the law.

Sanan had the meeting with Pheu Thai leader Yongyuth Wichaidit. Pheu Thai chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh dropped by to greet the deputy prime minister but did not participate.

The Sanan team included his son and MP, Siriwat Kachornprasart, and another MP, Asawin Wiphusiri. The Yongyuth side included two opposition lawmakers, Sunai Jullapongsathorn and red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan.

Emerging from the meeting, Sanan said he was in the process of soliciting opinions from all sides to find common ground to bring about reconciliation.

He said he felt encouraged to carry on his work because the main opposition party appeared supportive of his role as facilitator.

At the meeting, Jatuporn highlighted several red-shirt grievances relating to the violence in April 2009 and May this year, he said, pledging to look into the issues involved.

Sanan said he was heartened that the opposition did not make any preconditions for reconciliation. In regard to the scheduling of his meetings, he said he would next hold a series of talks with every political party, the Election Commission and key academics, including those in Thammasat and Ramkhamhaeng universities.

He said he would meet with Abhisit Vejjajiva as the leader of the Democrat Party and not in his capacity as prime minister.

After concluding his talks with key players, he would then proceed to meet with fugitive ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Jatuporn praised Sanan as a veteran politician acceptable to all sides, voicing his approval for the role of facilitator.

As an ex-political convict who shared a prison cell with red-shirt leader Veera Musigapong in 1977 and a barred party executive, Sanan could understand the plight of the red shirts, he said.

"I told Sanan that the reds will not object to reconciliation if the law is justly enforced on all parties involved," he said. "This means those responsible for ordering the crackdown must be prosecuted too. Or, if the country needs a fresh start, then everything should revert back to before the 2006 coup."

He said he saw Sanan as a glimmer of hope for opening a dialogue leading to a solution.

"I find it very difficult to find someone willing to talk," he said in reference to Abhisit's refusal to negotiate with "terrorists", the labelling of the red shirts that Jatuporn could not accept.

He said he deemed it impossible to strike a deal before addressing the injustice inflicted on 91 people killed and more than 2,000 injured.

-- The Nation 2010-10-01

[asiawatcher]

Sanan might be trying to 'appear to be handling reconcilliation but I would be skeptical he is not just politicking to gain the top job then a lot of what is bring touted now may never come to fruition.

[SomTumTiger]

Nobody with ears like Sanan will ever be PM