Offences related to Section 113 left out
PUBLISHED : 14 Dec 2023 at 04:10
The majority of people do not approve of the draft amnesty law proposed by the main opposition Move Forward Party (MFP), according to a recent online public hearing.
More than 71% of people who took part in the public hearing on the amnesty bill rejected it. Only 28% of respondents backed the bill.
Carried out by the Secretariat of the House of Representatives on its website from Nov 9 until last Saturday, the full month of hearings saw a total of 631 people registering to express their views on the MFP’s bill.
Karoonpon Tieansuwan, a list-MP and deputy spokesman for the MFP, said he was still optimistic the party’s bill would be considered in parliament alongside similar amnesty bills proposed by other parties. “Approved or not, it doesn’t make much difference,” he said.
The MFP’s version of the bill offers a sweeping amnesty to people who acted in a politically motivated manner and whose actions subsequently brought them legal charges.
The bill, however, does not cover offences related to Section 113 of the Criminal Code or state officials overreacting in their handling of political protests.
Section 113 pertains to acts of using force or threats with intent to change the constitution, overthrow the legislature, government, or judicial powers, divide the kingdom of Thailand or seize administrative power.
The amnesty in the MFP’s bill applies to related wrongdoings which occurred from Feb 11, 2006 — when the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) began its protests against the Thaksin Shinawatra administration — up until the present time.
The same bill also proposes to set up an amnesty committee to decide what cases are eligible. The committee will comprise nine members, including the House speaker, opposition leader, judges and prosecutors.
The United Thai Nation Party, meanwhile, affirmed its stance against any attempt to include lese majeste, corruption and serious criminal offences in the bill. Party deputy spokesman Pongpol Yodmuangcharoen said the party has put forth its own version of the amnesty bill to be submitted to the House.