Deputy PM: Thaksin Amnesty Petition Still Under Review
Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprasert said the committee screening petitions under the Social Harmony Promotion Act has not yet received a report on former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's request for a royal pardon. Pakorn stressed the process is based on legal criteria, not politics, and noted that Article 112 cases are explicitly excluded from eligibility.
Speaking at a meeting in Udon Thani, Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprasert, in his capacity as chairman of the Social Harmony Promotion Committee, addressed the screening sub-committee's review of petitions under the Social Harmony Promotion Act. Regarding former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's petition for amnesty, Pakorn said the committee has not yet received any report. The main committee appointed the sub-committee to screen incoming petitions against legal criteria, and any resolution will be forwarded to the full committee for consideration. Initially, both the petition and court judgments are being compiled by the Office of the Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister, which serves as secretariat, before being presented to the sub-committee.
Asked whether the full committee can disagree with the sub-committee, Pakorn confirmed it can, depending on the full committee's resolution. On whether Thaksin's case meets the criteria, he said there has been no external review yet because no documents have been seen; only news reports indicate a petition was submitted, along with others, but details are still being gathered by the Permanent Secretary's Office.
Regarding whether Article 112 cases fall within the criteria, Pakorn affirmed the law clearly states that corruption cases and Article 112 offenses are excluded from the act's conditions. Asked if Thaksin's name makes this a political issue, Pakorn said he is not aware of any political dimension; he views it strictly from a legal perspective and does not believe politics will interfere because everyone is watching closely and no one would dare violate the law.
If Thaksin knows he does not qualify but submits anyway, Pakorn said petitioning is a right with no penalty; anyone who believes they qualify can submit, and the committee will adjudicate accordingly. On the timeline, he said the petition must go through the screening sub-committee first, and if a resolution is reached, the reasoning must be reviewed before it goes to the full committee. Asked whether Thaksin's argument that his cases stem from a coup qualifies him, Pakorn declined to comment, saying he has not seen the documents, only heard news reports, and therefore cannot yet offer an opinion.
