Remove primitive laws’lese majeste’ for human equality

Puea Thai pushes political amnesty

By: Bangkokpost.com

Published: 4/02/2009 at 09:43 PM

The Puea Thai party on Wednesday continued with its push for an amnesty law to be passed for former party executives banned from politics, including convicted fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra.

Puea Thai list MP Nikhom Chaokitsopon said about 20 northern and northeastern MPs in his party agreed that many banned executives were assets to the country who could build solidarity.

At the same time, their connections with international businesses could enable them to rejuvenate the country’s economy, said Mr Nikhom.

An amnesty law has already been drafted by Puea Thai’s legal team.  Mr Nikhom said his team would propose the draft law to the party’s meeting before submitting it to parliament.

The draft law is intended to grant amnesty to former executives of dissolved political parties who were not involved in poll fraud, a charge which resulted in the dissolution of Thai Rak Thai, its reincarnation the People Power party, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya.

The parties’ executives were banned from politics for five years by the Constitution Court for complicity in the fraud. 

Puea Thai was confident the draft law would ease political tensions in the country.