Thai committee urges Pheu Thai to expedite political amnesty

The Committee of Relatives of the 1992 Black May Heroes, led by Adul Khiewboriboon, publicly requested the ruling Pheu Thai Party to expedite the process of granting amnesty for all political offenders, a promise made by the party. The group believes that political conflicts pose a significant risk to both economic and national security and could potentially impede Thailand’s progress.

The plea was made in an open letter that was submitted to Pheu Thai yesterday, March 3. The House of Representatives has already established a special House committee, chaired by Pheu Thai deputy leader Chusak Sirinil, to determine how to draft the political amnesty bill, reported Bangkok Post.

However, Adul criticised the committee’s recent attempt to further delay the process by establishing a sub-committee for additional study of the proposals. He referred to this as a tactic to deceive people into thinking the party is sincerely pursuing the promised amnesty bill for their political advantage.

The Committee of Relatives of the 1992 Black May Heroes also appealed to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is regarded as the unofficial leader of Pheu Thai, to encourage the party to keep its promise promptly.

Adul suggested that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin should request the Cabinet to approve an executive decree that would allow amnesty to be granted to political offenders, as recommended by a previous government committee on national reconciliation.

He highlighted that the public had supported the findings of a study conducted by the National Reconciliation Committee during hearings, and these findings had been endorsed by the National Reform Council. The House of Representatives unanimously approved these findings when they were later presented.

Adul warned that if the Pheu Thai Party does not respond, the group will submit a petition to HM the King.

“This is a way of fooling people into believing the party is serious about the promised amnesty bill push for its political benefit. If Pheu Thai fails to respond, the group will submit a petition to HM the King.”