The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Thursday to decide whether to accept a report from a special committee on drafting an amnesty bill for political offenders.
Wisut Chainarun, a Pheu Thai MP and chief government whip, said on Tuesday that the report is back for review on Thursday. He said if the MPs endorse the report, it will be forwarded to the government, which is not legally obliged to follow its recommendations.
He said that if the report is rejected, it will be considered dropped, and there will be no need for further action.
"The ruling party MPs will meet prior to the vote to discuss the report findings and will be asked to adopt a resolution whether the party will endorse the report," Mr Wisut said.
The Pheu Thai MP insisted that the report has nothing to do with the four amnesty bills proposed to Parliament by the Move Forward Party before it was dissolved.
The report provides the results of the special committee's study into various forms of amnesty that could be pursued and does not specify whether amnesty should extend to lese-majeste offenders, he added.
"Pheu Thai does not consider it a loss of face if the case is rejected because the study is the work of all concerned parties," Mr Wisut said.
He also stressed that the vote result will not determine the fate of the amnesty bill.
The committee outlines three possible options: full amnesty, conditional amnesty, or no amnesty, which has drawn mixed reactions from lawmakers in both government and opposition camps.
The main opposition People’s Party (PP) wants the lese-majeste offence to be included in the amnesty bill. However, the coalition government parties disagree with extending amnesty to those convicted of lese majeste.
The chief government whip said the House is unlikely to deliberate any amnesty bill in the current session because these bills are not screened by the parliament whips and the parliament will go into recess next week.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra confirmed to all coalition parties during an informal discussion on Monday the Pheu Thai Party's stance against amending the lese-majeste law or extending amnesty bill to cover lese-majeste offences.
Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, deputy leader of the United Thai Nation Party (UTN), welcomed the ruling party's stance on the amnesty proposal while expressing hope that the government MPs would make the same decision when the report is up for the vote.
