Forget amnesty, help those in jail: TRC

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Forget amnesty, help those in jail: TRC
The Nation 2011-07-08

The Truth and Reconciliation Committee yesterday urged the public and the next government to stop talking about an amnesty for any particular person - but pay more attention to victims of last year's violence and jailed red shirts who badly need justice.

The urgent task for the new government is to bring justice to many people who are now in jail, said committee member Kittipong Kittayarak.
"It is not the time to talk about amnesty for any particular individual but we should help one another to fix the problem," he said.

"As the people who have never had any chance to speak out are now taking power in the government, we should open a channel to listen to them."

The authorities have in detention currently 61 suspects in connection with violence in the bloody crackdown of May last year, said another committee member, Ronnachai Kongsakon. They are being held in 11 prisons throughout the nation and the authorities are denying access by the committee to help them, he said.

Further, there are many victims waiting for assistance and rehabilitation from the government, he said.

"The government should provide assistance and rehabilitation to them physically and mentally," Ronnachai, who is also a physician, said in a panel discussion held by the committee yesterday.

The discussion was attended by many |foreign diplomats and human-rights defenders to brainstorm ways for national reconciliation.

The reconciliation committee was set up by the outgoing government under Abhisit Vejjajiva after a military crackdown on red-shirt protests in May last year. The body has not achieved the goal of bringing truth and reconciliation.

Presumptive prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra said during her political campaign that she would allow the committee to carry on its work and might bring in some more legal experts.

However, the chairman of the committee, Kanit na Nakorn, said the body might not need more personnel and would not consult the new government.

The committee would maintain its independence and a proper distance from the government for the public benefit, not the interests of any particular person, he said. The committee would submit the second report of its work to the government on July 17.

Committee member Somchai Homlaor said the body had faced some difficulties in its work since concerned authorities were not cooperating with information. The committee also had no authority to summon officials or witnesses to testify, he said.

"As the door of reconciliation opens now, we hope to get more cooperation and information from concerned authorities," he said. "Many people would then dare to tell their side of story."

Sunai Pasuk of Human Rights Watch said the committee could not access the truth because many people were not ready to give information, which the committee is taking selectively.

"All parties regard themselves as victims and never accept their respective guilt and responsibility," he said.

"What the committee needs to do from now on is to prove itself as being really neutral," Sunai said. The public doubted Yingluck's intentions about granting amnesty to her fugitive brother Thaksin Shinawatra. Sunai said Pheu Thai should not implement the amnesty but open a public hearing to sound out opinions of the whole nation.