Dear people,
Political conflicts have caused a lot of damage to our country in the past 10 years.
After I was elected to lead the government, I believed that every Thai citizen agreed that if the conflict continued, the country would not progress.
When this government took office, I announced a clear policy for reconciliation within our rule of law. Recently I pushed for a political platform where all the different parties could come together to “repair the damage” and find a form for promoting unity.
Under the democratic principle of a balanced distribution of powers, the government – especially myself as Prime Minister – has refrained from interfering with the legislature, as is customary when amending the Constitution.
I have been wrongly accused of neglecting my present duty as Prime Minister, because I am, in effect, allowing the legislature to do its job freely.
There has been much public debate in connection with the recent vote in the House to pass the Amnesty Act, but I would like to point out that countries where loss of life and property due to political conflicts are regrettable should grant amnesty. Thailand must adapt to this.
In principle, amnesty is an option worth considering. If all parties are willing to forgive each other, I believe that the conflict can be resolved and the country can continue its progress.
It is regrettable that hundreds of people were killed and thousands injured in the political violence caused by attempts to overthrow an elected government.
Amnesty does not mean that we should forget this painful lesson. We are obligated to learn from it and understand it so that our children do not face a repeat of such tragedies.
In the meantime, we must work together to overcome the conflict and move the country forward.
The resumption of peace: All parties must forgive each other – without prejudice or emotion – and have an open ear for dissent. I understand this is difficult but we must put the greater good above personal interest.
Today, the amnesty bill was passed by the House and forwarded to the Senate for further consideration. This is in accordance with normal legal procedure.
The parties involved have different views on amnesty. They emphasize the major differences in society and within political parties. Despite the House passing the bill, several groups appear unwilling to reconcile and continue to insist on the differences.
I do not want the amnesty law to be politicized in such a way that the aim is to overthrow the current elected government and thereby derail democracy again.
The bill is portrayed as a means of laundering corruption, but that is far from the truth. Amnesty is intended to exonerate victims of the takeover, which took place outside the law, and to acquit those charged with committing offenses against life, bodily harm and property.
I affirm that the Government will strive to promote national interests and will not use its majority against the will and feelings of the people.
I will heed the views of supporters and opponents. The main goal of the government is to achieve reconciliation. In light of the prevailing differences, the government would like all parties to stop causing further divisions. Under the Constitution, the bill is now under consideration in the Senate.
I want to plead for the senators who were appointed or elected to use their discretion during the deliberations on the bill. It is known that the Senate will do so without outside interference.
So I hope that the senators will deliberate on the bill on the basis of forgiveness and compassion to do justice to the people who feel duped and to ease their pain.
The deliberations on amnesty should be a factor in the interests of the country. Regardless of the outcome of the Senate's decision, which could be to disagree, postpone, or review the bill, I believe that those members of the House who voted to pass the bill will accept the Senate's result for the sake of reconciliation. to accept.
Legislative procedures must take precedence over everything and everyone must respect this in order to protect the freedom of every Thai citizen.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone in the legislature for pushing for reconciliation. It is now time for all citizens of Thailand to unite and decide on the way to achieve understanding without bias and emotion. Openness and compassion must be the basis for reconciliation.
Thank you.
Nice words about forgiveness, but if she is out for stability and a better future for the country, then you wonder why that is not apparent from the various proposals and plans of her party. Then write an amnesty proposal that really only protects the coup perpetrators, etc. from all actions that can be directly linked to it (would I still have my reservations, murder, looting, etc., I would not let go unpunished), senate reforms where the current senate has no has nothing to gain from it, really independent studies into the consequences of various dams, not to mention the necessary reforms regarding education, agriculture, etc. So nice words and perhaps that as a person she is sincerely looking for a better Thailand for the average Thai but certainly not her party (and especially her brother). Of real reforms and starting with a clean slate in the interest of the people, I don't see that happening yet unfortunately. Too many people who are afraid of losing power, money, interests and other advantages.
The Thai government could (and should) draw wise lessons from the history of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, chaired by Bishop Desmond Tutu. I will not hide the fact that there is also something to criticize about the working method of this committee, but it was many times better than a blank amnesty. One of the things that appealed to me about the committee's work was that only people could get amnesty who also admitted to doing wrong things. As Prime Minister Yingluck says, anyone suspected of committing crimes will be amnestied. That means that people do not even want to look for the truth and will therefore always be unknown who has done what and when. Extremely unsatisfactory and unacceptable to a large part of the Thai population (and not just the Democratic party, as the Pheu Thai would have us believe) is evident from the protests.
Heartbreaking whole speech.
Couldn't keep my eyes dry.
This whole story is about one thing and one thing alone.
And we all know what that is.
LOUISE
What a beautiful woman, I'm sure that if she gets out of work in Thailand, she can get started in political The Hague.
Our representatives are waiting for such a person, someone who fights for reconciliation, perfect.
I always read between the lines.
That is also due to my work, but I read [if translated correctly] quite often “I want”, “I will”…I know from experience that people who often say “I want/will/must/can” are a bit should be avoided.
Then you have to be careful with someone like that.