Prawit insists amnesty not in unity plan

Pheu Thai, govt don’t see eye to eye on meet

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon insisted yesterday the reconciliation process does not include an amnesty plan.

Gen Prawit was responding to Pheu Thai Party member Chusak Sirinil’s suggestion on Tuesday that participants at the unity forum should not be prohibited from discussing controversial issues such as an amnesty.

Gen Prawit said if Pheu Thai had any suggestions, it should save them for the sub-committee headed by defence permanent secretary Gen Chaicharn Changmongkol.

“But I’ve already said that fostering national reconciliation has nothing to do with an amnesty plan,” he said.

The Defence Ministry yesterday declined to confirm if the government reconciliation panel will be able to meet Pheu Thai representatives on March 8 as planned.

Defence Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanit said the date would be set by the Defence Ministry which was responsible for arranging the meetings and working with concerned parties taking part in the process.

The government committee on reconciliation is chaired by Gen Prawit. One of its sub-committees which is responsible for gathering opinions and suggestions on how unity could be achieved is headed by defence permanent secretary Gen Chaicharn.

His remarks came after Pheu Thai Party said on Tuesday the party’s 10-member delegation would hold talks with the government committee on national reconciliation on March 8.

Pheu Thai met on Tuesday to select 10 representatives led by secretary-general Phumtham Wechayachai to join the reconciliation-building process.

The party and the Defence Ministry did not seem to be on the same page where the planned meeting was concerned.

Earlier, the Defence Ministry said the party had accepted its invitation to join the process while the party claimed it had yet to receive an invite.

Maj Gen Kongcheep said even though Pheu Thai was ready to meet the panel om March 8, the ministry will make a final decision if the meeting can go ahead.

“The ministry is responsible for arranging the meeting [between the committee and political parties] and setting the appointments. We set the date but in doing so we have to coordinate with parties,” he noted.

Maj Gen Kongcheep also advised red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship leader Jatuporn Prompan that he should join the unitybuilding process through the existing channels.

He was reacting to media reports that Mr Jatuporn wanted to meet Gen Prawit to discuss ideas about unity-building.

Discussing the unity-building talks, the defence spokesman said several smalland medium-sized political parties had pointed to a lack of respect for laws and corruption as the cause of the conflict.

He said they also believed a power struggle between old and new political cliques contributed to the conflict while the people lacked access to education, public health and resources.

Quoting representatives from these parties, he said the public had lost trust in public independent agencies which had been exploited for political gains.

“Every party has agreed reforms must proceed simultaneously. The problem doesn’t lie with the political system, but the people in the system. So political parties have to screen their candidates for voters,” he said.

The defence spokesman called on all political parties to be open to suggestions, especially from those people who had been affected by the political unrest.

He insisted the unity-building process was owned by the people while assuring the committee would not impose any restrictions or conditions to keep the forum truly neutral and inclusive.