Thailand's politically fragile society risks new turbulence once a reconciliation bill, aimed at granting amnesty to political offenders and clearing all orders of the 2006 coup makers, is pushed before parliament, opponents say.
Sonthi: Proposed contentious bill
The bill, suggested by 2006 coup leader Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin and MPs in the government camp, will only set back attempts to reconcile the conflict between pro- and anti-Thaksin groups because the Pheu Thai-led government is only considering the interests of one person, said opposition chief whip and Democrat Party MP Jurin Laksanavisit.
Mr Jurin was referring to former prime minister and Pheu Thai de facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who is in self-imposed exile overseas.
He issued his warning on Friday after the bill was listed as an ''urgent agenda'' item for the House sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, according to deputy House speaker Charoen Chankomon.
Whether the bill will be discussed depends on a vote by legislators.
Mr Charoen did not say whether the bill would benefit Thaksin or not because the bill, in principle, does not mention individual names.
However, according to Pheu Thai list MP Wattana Muangsuk, Thaksin is among the politicians who could enjoy positive outcomes once the law, which is divided into three parts, is enacted.
Under the bill, he said, politicians, state officials and people involved in political rallies between Sept 15, 2005, and May 10, 2011, would be granted amnesty.
Next, orders and legal requirements specially launched by the coup-appointed Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC), which investigated alleged corruption in the Thaksin administration, would be cancelled to pave the way for a new judicial process to look into all of the allegations.
Lastly, political rights would be returned to political party executives who were not involved in poll fraud that led to the dissolution of their parties.
''Accusations against Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and Democrat MP for Surat Thani Suthep Thaugsuban fall under the first topic, while ASC charges against Thaksin are under the second one,'' Mr Wattana said.
The ASC investigations led to the Supreme Court's ruling in 2010 to seize assets worth 46 billion baht from Thaksin's family after finding he abused his power to benefit his family's telecom business.
Thaksin was also sentenced in absence to two years in jail by the court in 2008 after he was found guilty of helping his ex-wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra buy prime state land in the Ratchadaphisek area.
Both Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep are accused of resorting to violence in the crackdown on the pro-Thaksin red shirt United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship in April and May 2010 that ended in bloodshed that led to 91 deaths and nearly 2,000 injuries.
A Pheu Thai source said that even people facing lese majeste charges would also be granted amnesty because the bill states ''speeches or advertising to call for a protest against the government'' are also not wrong.
However, despite the bill's benefits, including those for the Democrats, the opposition will not change its stance against it. Democrat MP for Phatthalung Niphit Intharasombat said his party will ask the Constitution Court to consider whether the bill contravenes the charter because it will revoke Section 309, which legalises acts stated in the interim charter of 2006.
The charter, launched after the September 2006 coup, gave birth to the current charter and, at the same time, legalises all orders of the coup group.
Tul Sitthisomwong, leader of the multi-coloured group that opposes amnesty for Thaksin, is taking the same stance as the Democrats and vowed to stage a protest at the parliament building if the bill is discussed.
Gen Sonthi, now the Matubhum Party leader, pushed ahead the bill after the King Prajadhipok's Institute's proposals, which included the controversial amnesty issue, were approved by the Pheu Thai-dominated parliament on April 6.
However, the institute's researchers, assigned by Gen Sonthi's special House committee to study national reconciliation, said it was not appropriate to proceed with any scheme while all sides were still hostile to each other.
In 2006, Gen Sonthi led the coup to topple the Thaksin government following massive protests by the anti-Thaksin yellow shirt group.
The conflict between the two groups has dragged on until today.