The House of Representatives should approve the political amnesty bill as amended by the Senate, as the changes did not alter its core principles, Bhumjaithai Party list-MP Nikorn Chamnong said on Wednesday.
The Senate approved the bill on Tuesday after making several amendments. As a result, it will be returned to the House for further consideration.
Mr Nikorn, who serves on the House committee studying amnesty proposals, said the revised bill remains consistent with his party’s position that three categories of offences should be excluded from amnesty.
They are corruption, lese-majeste cases and offences resulting in death or involving harm to individuals.
He said the Senate’s amendments were largely technical and would not affect enforcement of the law or alter its substantive provisions. The annexes were simply reorganised without their content having been changed, he added.
Mr Nikorn also said offences involving election fraud, electoral misconduct or false qualifications remain excluded, meaning the bill would not affect ongoing investigations into wide-scale vote-rigging and collusion in the 2024 Senate collusion.
If the Senate forwards the bill to the House within the next day or two, it could be placed on the agenda during the final sitting week before the current parliamentary session ends on July 11, he said.
Mr Nikorn expressed hope the House would endorse the Senate’s amendments to avoid the need for a joint House-Senate committee, which would delay the legislation.
“If there are prior talks among government whips, I believe the House would approve the Senate’s version and the bill could be submitted for royal approval,” he said.
He said the bill is intended to promote national reconciliation, noting that efforts to enact an amnesty law have been ongoing for the past two decades.
The Senate’s amendments contain a provision excluding people charged under Section 112, the lese-majeste law, from the case-termination process regardless of their age.
The bill also expands the authority of the proposed Peaceful Society Promotion Committee to request physical evidence in addition to documents, provides legal protection for members acting in good faith, and recommends alternative sentence administration or detention measures be considered for politically related offenders who are ineligible for amnesty.
Opposition unhappy
People’s Party MP Parit Wacharasindhu said on Wednesday that the party remains opposed to the amnesty bill because it still discriminates against people prosecuted for political expression.
Commenting on the Senate’s revisions, Mr Parit said they do not address the party’s concerns.
Asked whether the opposition would seek the establishment of a joint House-Senate committee to review the bill, Mr Parit said that would first be discussed by the opposition whip next week.
Mr Parit also said that government and opposition whips have agreed to postpone parliamentary consideration of proposed constitutional amendments until a charter amendment proposal by the public is submitted alongside those sponsored by political parties.
He also encouraged the public to support the Conforall campaign by signing its petition to submit a public-sponsored constitutional amendment bill, saying the sooner the required signatures are collected, the sooner parliament could begin deliberations.
