The Constitution Drafting Committee's (CDC) reconciliation panel pledged to help prisoners jailed for acts of political violence seek pardons after visiting them in prison yesterday.
Anek Laothammatat, the reconciliation panel chairman, led a 28-member delegation to the Bangkok Remand Prison to speak to 19 prisoners jailed in connection with political violence during the red-shirt protests of 2009-2010 and the People's Democratic Reform Committee protests of 2013-2014.
"They [the prisoners] all feel sorry about what happened and just want to live a normal life with their families. They say they will no longer engage in any violent activities once they are released," said Mr Anek after a lunch meeting with the prisoners.
He said the prisoners, regardless of their colour-coded political leanings, now help and care for one another inside the prison, "as after all they share a similar destiny in here", said Mr Anek.
The 19 prisoners include Anek Singkunthod who was imprisoned for attempting to bomb the Bhumjaithai political party's headquarters in June 2010. He hid the bomb in a rambutan cart he was pushing but it exploded before he could get into the party's headquarters in Bangkok. He was blinded in the explosion.
Another prisoner the delegation visited was Wiwat Yodprasit, better known as the "popcorn gunman", who is on trial for allegedly firing an automatic weapon, hidden inside a popcorn bag, at red-shirt members at Laksi on Feb 1, 2014.
Mr Anek's delegation included panel members, other constitutional drafters, members of the National Reform Council, lawyers, academics, the head of the National Council for Peace and Order's reconciliation and reform centre, and relatives of the prisoners.
Mr Anek said the prisoners hope to receive royal pardons when HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn marks her 60th birthday on April 2.
He said that his committee would talk to "those in power" to facilitate any necessary procedures to assist prisoners in seeking pardons since each of them has different terms of imprisonment and some of their cases are also pending appeals.
"Many have lost their families. So it's not just freedom that they've lost but also touch and contact from their loved ones," Mr Anek said. "They have no revenge or rage left in their hearts and they all want our society to get back on track."
FLASHBACK: "Popcorn shooter" was arrested a year ago, while the failed Bhumjaithai Party Anek Singkhunthod was sentenced in April, 2012. Anek blinded himself with the bomb. (Bangkok Post file photos)