Thailand: Opposition bill proposes amnesty for political offences covering 2 decades

A draught bill requesting amnesty for thousands of people accused of crimes committed at political rallies, including insulting the monarchy, over the course of nearly two decades of unrest was submitted by Thailand’s progressive opposition party on Thursday.

The bill put out to parliament would apply to all political protests since 2006, a year marked by sporadic unrest that included two coups, the ouster of three prime ministers by judges, and debilitating, occasionally violent street rallies.

The Move Forward Party, which won the election in May but was unable to form a government, has proposed creating a committee made up of the speaker of the house, officials from the administration, the opposition, and the court to determine who qualifies for amnesty.

“We did not specify offenses because there are so many cases and the timeframe is broad,” party leader Chaithawat Tulathon said, adding the bill stipulates those involved in insurrection, causing harm to lives, or abuse of power in security crackdowns would not be eligible.

The anti-establishment Move Forward party won the election on a platform that included changing a provision that protects the king from criticism. This proposal infuriated royalists, the military, and conservative politicians, who banded together to prevent the party from entering office.

How much support Move Forward has for the most recent amnesty proposal is unknown. The now-ruling Pheu Thai Party’s last attempt in 2013 backfired, leading to riots and eventually, a coup.

According to data from the legal aid organisation Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, 258 people have been accused of insulting the king in the last three years out of 1,928 persons who have been tried for political rallies.

According to Puangtip Boonsanong, a lawyer involved in many of those cases, 500 people associated with conservative political groups, including “yellow shirts” involved in a 2009 blockade of two international airports and of the seat of government in 2008, 2013 and 2014, have been charged with offences.

(With agency inputs)