Pardon timing quizzed | Bangkok Post: business

Business leaders are uncomfortable with the cabinet's approval of draft royal decree for a royal pardon that could include Thaksin Shinawatra, saying it could add political risk at a time when businesses are already suffering from floods.

''It sounds strange to do a thing like this as it is not the appropriate time. People are concerned about the flooding,'' said Phongsak Assakul, acting chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

The decree approved by the cabinet on Tuesday would seek pardons for thousands of convicts on the occasion of His Majesty the King's birthday next month. However, it was worded in a way that would include people convicted of corruption, notably the self-exiled former prime minister.