The request for the use of 43 million baht from the so-called "Justice Fund" to bail out red shirt suspects has stoked controversy. Pitaya Jinawat, director-general of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department, explains to KING-OUA LAOHONG how various governments have exploited the fund and how money alone will not bring reconciliation.
Pitaya: fund seeking greater transparency
The government approved the fund to help bail out the red shirts but the court vetoed the use of the money for this purpose. What is going on?
The fund was set up when Suwat Liptapanlop was justice minister and it was aimed at assisting people who found that legal help was beyond their reach. They included scapegoats and those taken to court with no lawyers to represent them.
Last year, we received 36 million baht. But our "customers" are many and a lot of people are in trouble.
We thought if we were to disburse the available money to help bail out those red shirts facing criminal offences, there might not be enough left to assist other people. So I approached the justice minister, who asked the government for additional funds and the money was granted.
It isn't wrong to say the fund is a tool of political office. The fund was used by the previous government too. In the government under the Democrat Party, then justice minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga diverted money to help a farmer who was cheated. The yellow shirts can also ask to use the money although they are generally better off than the red shirts so they haven't sought financial assistance. The majority of the red shirts are poor and when they faced arrest, they had no money to bail themselves out. They [the current government and the red shirts] have a shared ideology. The government forked out extra money for the red shirt cause so people waiting in line wouldn't be affected.
The problem is the justice fund earlier disbursed 100,000 baht each to the families of people who died in the political violence of recent years. Now, they are getting 7.5 million baht each in state compensation. Will that be a financial incentive drawing people to political rallies in the future?
Yes. I'm tempted to die too. The 7.5 million baht granted would be left to my children. Even my pension won't be anything near that amount.
But in truth, money won't solve disunity. The red shirts feel they have been victimised through the legal process. Their bitterness is bottled up inside.
Paying for reconciliation involves being perceptive to the prevailing mood and atmosphere, which may not be conducive to forging unity.
It's hard to reconcile when red shirt villages are still being established in many provinces. Rushing to reconcile without listening to different opinions is dangerous. I can tell you a remedy through money alone will not bring about reconciliation.
The government cannot control the red shirts. What if the government talks and they don't listen? But on a person to person level, the red and yellow shirts can talk, as shown by the case study in Phayao. We need to create understanding and come to the table with the right attitude.
Is it true you are a red shirt because you're a Chiang Mai native and you are devoted to the red shirts because you were made director-general under the current government?
I'm a Chiang Mai native but I don't know former premier Thaksin Shinawatra or his younger sister Yaowapa Wongsawat personally. I've never approached or met them. I know Somchai Wongsawat
[Ms Yaowapa's husband] because he was my superior when he was justice permanent secretary.
I was named deputy justice permanent secretary under the previous Democrat-led government and I became department chief under the present government. That doesn't make me a red shirt. Our department helps all colour-coded people.
Our strength lies in our ability to provide money while our weakness is that we answer to the policies of political parties in power. We are reaching out to organisations and stakeholder groups of the rights protection networks and we seek their cooperation in monitoring our work for transparency.