The special House committee studying an amnesty bill for political prisoners is divided over where offences under Section 112, the lese-majeste law (LM), and Section 110 of the Criminal Code should be included, according to one of the panel members.
Section 110 involves violence or attempted violence against the Queen, heir-apparent or regent.
Nikorn Chamnong, the committee's secretary, said no conclusion was reached at this week's meeting due to split opinions, so the committee agreed to defer the matter. However, he said the opinions of each committee member will be provided in its study report to the House of Representatives.
According to Mr Nikorn, there are three camps: one wants those offences excluded, another favours their inclusion, and the third is calling for them to be included under special conditions. He said the next issue on the agenda covers the reinstatement of their rights. The committee is expected to conclude its study before the end of this month.
The 35-member panel was set up early this year as proposed by the ruling Pheu Thai Party to conduct a comprehensive study on the amnesty proposal after a bill sponsored by the main opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) was met with resistance.
The amnesty would cover all politically motivated cases that have occurred since Feb 11, 2006, when the the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) held its first protest against the Thaksin administration. However, critics argue that the MFP-backed bill aimed for a blanket amnesty for offenders of the lese majeste law and warned that it could trigger a major political conflict.
Pheu Thai's earlier bid to pass a blanket amnesty law during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration ignited mass street protests. It was viewed as an attempt to legally whitewash her older brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.