Thai government softens stand on 'blanket amnesty' bill

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra implied on Tuesday that legislation designed to grant amnesty to those involved in previous street unrests and bloodsheds might be returned by the Senate to her government for review. In a statement made at the Government House, the prime minister implied that senators might probably turn down the amnesty bill pushed by the ruling Pheu Thai (For Thais) Party so that it will be sent back to the House of Representatives for review. She made the rare statement in the face of massive protests led by the opposition Democrat Party and university academics against the "blanket amnesty" bill under which not only political prisoners and defendants allegedly involved in street unrests since the last several years but leaders of those protesters and former government heads would be cleared of all charges related to such untoward incidents. "I'd suggest that the senators, either opposed or supportive to the legislation, take it into utmost consideration for the sake of national reconciliation and justice for those who have suffered for a long time. I believe the legislators in the House of Representatives who already approved the legislation will accept the decisions of those in the Senate who might disapprove or revise it on basis of justice and national reconciliation," Yingluck said. Should the amnesty bill fail to pass the upper house, it will be returned to the lower house for review. Nonetheless, the reviewed legislation cannot be forwarded to the Thai monarch for formal approval until after a 180-days time. Entitled to the "blanket amnesty" under the Yingluck government 's controversial bill are, among others,: - Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, brother of the prime minister, who was deposed in 2006's coup, sentenced in absentia by the Supreme Court to a two-years jail term involving a Bangkok land grab scandal and had some 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in wealths confiscated. - Former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva and former deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban who have been held accountable for 2010's army crackdowns on Red Shirt protesters which saw nearly 100 people killed and some 2,000 others injured. Abhisit and Suthep have led thousands of people on Bangkok streets to protest against the "blanket amnesty" and announced that they preferred to see their cases being proceeded under the established judicial systems.