Newly elected Pheu Thai MP Thossaporn Serirak has vowed to push for a draft amnesty law at the earliest opportunity in parliament to absolve political offenders.
Speaking at the Election Commission (EC), where he received his MP endorsement papers yesterday, the Phrae MP said lawmakers should give the proposed amnesty top priority.
Dr Thossaporn, known for his active involvement in anti-government protests, drafted the proposed amnesty bill and said he plans to raise it at the first parliamentary meeting expected in the coming days as the certification of MPs by the Election Commission is underway.
He argued those charged with political offences should be granted amnesties, especially young protesters, so they can get on with their lives or return to school. Dr Thossaporn said he himself faces eight such offences.
Legal defence in court is costly, and the political offenders feel they are being bullied by the law, he added.
“People who hold different political views shouldn’t have to face prosecution or punishment for that,” he said.
He declined to say whether the proposed law would cover former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin fled the country in 2008, shortly before being convicted by the Supreme Court for helping his then-wife, Khunying Potjaman Na Pombejra, buy prime land in the Ratchadaphisek area at a discount while he was prime minister.
Any extended coverage of the amnesty law needs to be thrashed out by all sectors of society to avoid igniting intense social and political conflicts, pundits say.
A similar law was put forth during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration in 2013, which came under fire for trying to aid Thaksin. It became a precursor of the May 22, 2014 coup.