Institute Defends General Amnesty Proposal: Thailand

[webfact]

GENERAL AMNESTY

Institute defends amnesty proposal

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The King Prajadhipok's Institute (KPI) yesterday defended its report that proposed general amnesty and voiding of all legal impacts of the post-coup cases already ruled on by the court, saying that the reconciliation proposals were not aimed at bringing any fugitive back to Thailand.

General Ekkachai Sriwilas, director of the KPI's Office for Peace and Governance, said the report - submitted to the House committee for national reconciliation - was based on the success stories from many countries that were able to achieve reconciliation after severe conflicts.

"I insist that the institute made the proposals without bias or intention to bring any person back to Thailand," Ekkachai said.

He said the KPI simply made available options for the House committee for national reconciliation to choose for further implementation.

The KPI - an independent academic organisation under Parliament - proposed two options regarding amnesty: general amnesty in all cases, and amnesty for all except those who committed criminal offences, with each option having its advantages and disadvantages.

However, Ekkachai said yesterday that it did not mean all the people involved would benefit from amnesty. He said the KPI suggested that amnesty should cover the period from declaration of an emergency decree in 2005.

In its report, the institute proffered three options to "build confidence in the justice system".

The first option is to shift all the cases investigated by the post-coup Assets Examination Committee (AEC) to the National Anti-Corruption Commission and let the existing justice process run its course, without impact on cases that have been ruled on by the court. This is the present situation.

The second option is to cancel all legal impacts of the cases initiated by the AEC, and to shift the cases to the normal justice process, with no statute of limitations enforced. The third option is to expunge all legal impacts of the cases initiated by the AEC - both complete and incomplete cases.

After the coup of 2006 that overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, the AEC was appointed by the coup-makers, led by then Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin. It was assigned to investigate allegations of corruption against members of the Thaksin cabinet. Its findings led to court rulings against Thaksin - two years' imprisonment for abuse of power - and the confiscation of more than Bt40 billion of his assets for being unusually wealthy.

Sonthi, the ex-coup leader, is now an MP and chairman of the House committee on national reconciliation, which assigned the institute to study proposals for political reconciliation.

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday said amnesty should not cover criminal offences, or similar problems would recur.

Abhisit, also leader of the Democrat Party, said that for many people, Thailand failed to find peace because Thaksin still did not get what he wanted. He expressed concern of worse conflicts in the future when people struggle for political power so that they can whitewash their wrongdoings.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, said it would be "easy" for Thaksin to return to Thailand this year.

However, he refused to elaborate or comment on whether the ex-prime minister, who is now in self-exile overseas, would serve his two-year prison term handed down by the Supreme Court for abuse of power.

"Thaksin did not do anything against the law. He just did something prohibited by the law," Chalerm said.

He insisted that Thaksin's future return would have nothing to do with constitutional amendment.

-- The Nation 2012-03-09

[Murgatroyd]

"Thaksin did not do anything against the law. He just did something prohibited by the law," Chalerm said.

I fail to understand the difference... Perhaps it makes more sense in the Thai language.

[Soutpeel]

"Thaksin did not do anything against the law. He just did something prohibited by the law," Chalerm said.

and this guy is a deputy PM !!!.....the intellectual insight is amazing.....Miracle Thailand....

[DP25]

"Thaksin did not do anything against the law. He just did something prohibited by the law," Chalerm said.

This is some amazing logic. The red shirts have been arguing that since the illegal actions Thaksin took were reversed by the court, that means the original actions didn't take place, and since they didn't take place Thaksin is therefore innocent of any crime!