Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has defended a controversial
amnesty bill that has sparked mass anti-government protests in recent
days.
In a speech broadcast live on television on
November 5, Yingluck said the amnesty is needed to reunite the country
after years of turmoil culminating in a bloody crackdown by the previous
government on pro-Thaksin “Red Shirt” protests in 2010 that left dozens
of civilians dead.
She said the bill is not about
forgetting painful lessons but about learning so it does not happen
again to the young generation.
The ruling Pheu Thai
Party led by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has made a proposal to
pass the bill granting pardons for crimes related to political unrest
since 2004.
Meanwhile, the opposition Democrat Party
has warned the amnesty will “whitewash” past abuses, including the
killing of unarmed protestors.
Demonstrators held that
the brother of Prime Minister Yingluck – former Prime Minister Thaksin,
who remains in self-exile in Dubai to avoid prison for a corruption
conviction imposed in his absence in 2008 – will benefit the most if
the bill is approved.
Mass protests have exploded in Bangkok since the Thai Parliament began the debate over the bill last week.
The bill was adopted by the House of Representatives on November 1 and
is expected to be submitted for the Senate’s approval on November 11.
According to Thai law, if the bill is rejected by the Senate, it can
still be approved by the House of Representatives and submitted to the
King of Thailand after 180 days.
Prime Minister Yingluck called on senators to consider the bill on the spirit of conciliation.-VNA