Former protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who is now chairman of the Muan Maha Prachachon for Reform Foundation, has announced he and his colleagues will not sign a unity agreement initiated by the regime.
His announcement came Tuesday while Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was speaking at another venue, saying political parties and groups involved in conflicts over the past decade will be requested to speak their minds and state their demands regarding reconciliation issues to help the government address the root causes of political conflicts.
The process of gathering opinions will take about three months before they are asked to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on unity, said the prime minister.
Mr Suthep said that while he supported the government's bid to set up committees to push for national reform and national strategy, he was still concerned about the reconciliation process.
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Mr Suthep argued the MoU is not a way to achieve true unity, and that the key to national unity is that all sides must obey the law. He also stressed he disagreed with an amnesty for offenders, particularly those involved in serious crimes and corruption cases.
However, Mr Suthep said he was ready to offer his views on how to achieve reconciliation if invited by the government.
Mr Suthep is a former Democrat secretary-general and former leader of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) which led street demonstrations against the Yingluck Shinawatra government prior to the May 22 coup in 2014.
Speaking after a National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) meeting, Gen Prayut said that political parties and pressure groups will be asked to discuss issues relating to past political conflicts and national unity with a newly established committee tasked with fostering national reconciliation, which is made up mostly of military personnel.
Each of them should also offer suggestions on how to achieve national unity and national reforms and how they can live in harmony, Gen Prayut said. He said past problems will be discussed and solved through legal means later.
The prime minister also brushed aside any discussion about an amnesty for political offenders, saying the issue would only spark disputes and should also be discussed later.
"Right now, we must let the public know what each political party wants and whether they will reform the country and, most importantly, how unity can be achieved, and who created the conflict. The committee will then come up with conclusions on how to proceed," Gen Prayut said.
Gen Prayut said Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, who has been put in charge of the reconciliation process, told him the process to gather views from political parties and groups will take about three months before the next stage of the unity process which involves legal issues can begin.
Gen Prayut said that while the government acts like a facilitator in the reconciliation process, the public must also participate in making decisions on matters related to reconciliation.
Regarding the so-called memorandum of understanding on national reconciliation which political parties and groups will be asked to sign, Gen Prayut said: "It is like a social contract and they must abide by it. For example, they will no longer fight each other, will not obstruct elections, and will accept an elected government."
Gen Prayut also said national issues cover not only politics, but also social disparities and injustices.
Gen Prawit, who is also defence minister, said Tuesday he has been assigned by the prime minister to set up the structure of a steering committee to tackle reconciliation issues chaired by Defence Ministry permanent secretary Gen Chaicharn Changmongkol.
Gen Prawit said the steering committee will prepare a set of 10 topics including the the economy, security and foreign affairs, to ask political parties and groups for their opinions. The committee will then wrap up and present the views to all political parties and groups, he said.
"What is against the constitution and the law will not be considered. If there is a need to issue necessary legislation, Section 44 will be used to unlock [any obstacles]," Gen Prawit said.
He said the steering committee would hear out political parties and groups before they are asked to sign the MoU.