The private sector on Monday failed to reach a consensus on whether to protest against the blanket amnesty bill.
Pramon Suthiwong, president of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand, third right, and Somkit Lertpaitoon, second right, the Council of University Presidents of Thailand, submit a letter to Deputy Senate Speaker Surachai Liengboonlertchai, send left, asking the Senate to vote down the amnesty bill. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)
The Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) was the only group which said it was too early to oppose the legislation.
Three private-sector organisations - the TCC, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and the Thai Bankers' Association (TBA) - met to seek a common ground on the bill.
TCC chairman Issara Vongkusolkij said his group declined to oppose the bill.
Instead, he urged the Senate to consider amending it and listen to public opinions to ease the conflicts between the government and the public.
"We do not oppose the [amnesty] bill because it is not yet time to do so. Neither have we submitted a letter to the government. We now leave the bill in the good hands of the Senate. We still need to deal with the government and we have to do business.
"So at this stage, we'd like to only pass the message through the press that the parliament should amend the bill," said Mr Issara.
The TCC disagrees with Section 3 of the draft, fearing it would scrap all corruption cases, both ongoing and closed ones, it said in a statement.
This would destroy the country's justice system and intensify conflicts in the already polarised nation, it added.
The passage of the bill will undermine Thailand's transparency and confidence among world communities.
The other two groups, FTI and TBA, refused on Monday to share their views regarding the bill, saying they have not discussed it with members yet.
Pramon Sutivong, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT), admitted that the lack of action by the three organisations took him by surprise.
However, Mr Pramon said the ACT's stand is clear: it opposes the blanket amnesty that pardons not only political cases but also corruption ones.
The ACT on Monday submitted a petition to the Senate, asking it to consider the bill carefully.
In the event the Senate votes to pass the amnesty bill in its current form, the issue will go the Constitutional Court.
The ACT's campaign to sign up one million people against the bill has come half-way, with nearly 500,000 signing up. He believes the target would be reached very soon.
Kittiratt Na-Ranong, the deputy prime minister and finance minister, said street protests could hurt the country's already-fragile economy and tourism industry, which has just entered its high season.
"The rallies could have some impact [on the economy]. However, I'm confident that all related parties will do what needs to be done to help prop up the economy," he said.
Vorapak Tanyawong, Krungthai Bank's president, said he was concerned about the escalating political tensions in the wake of the weak economy.
The shift of the Democrat-led protesters' rally site to the Democracy Monument from Samsen indicates the political strife could escalate and the number of protesters may increase, he said.