Government Backs Senate Amendments to Amnesty Bill for Political Reconciliation

The government coalition has agreed to endorse Senate amendments to the peaceful society promotion bill, an amnesty measure aimed at easing politically motivated conflicts. Chief government whip Korrawee Prissananantakul said on Tuesday that the coalition had resolved to accept the Senate's revisions because they merely refined the wording without altering the bill's core principles or legislative intent as previously approved by the House of Representatives. Coalition parties will nevertheless discuss the matter internally once more before the House vote, although the government's position remained unchanged. Mr Korrawee said opposition representatives had informally suggested setting up a joint committee of both chambers to review the amended bill. However, after considering the Senate's revisions, the government whip concluded they did not affect the legislation's essential provisions, as the amendments consisted only of additional wording, leaving no justification for a joint committee. Manaporn Charoensri, deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, said the coalition members had been able to reach a common view after debating the Senate's amendments concerning lese-majeste offences under Section 112 of the Criminal Code. As the bill had been proposed by the cabinet, with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul as its sponsor, the coalition agreed to proceed with the Senate's version and vote on it when the House reconvenes today. Although Pheu Thai held a slightly different view, Ms Manaporn said the party believed further delay would postpone relief for more than 6,000 people involved in politically related cases. She added the bill had already undergone detailed scrutiny by a House special committee before being approved and subsequently reviewed by the Senate, making another round of joint deliberation unnecessary. Ms Manaporn also said Pheu Thai had no objection to the Senate's exclusion of Section 112 offences from the bill, despite earlier proposals to strengthen protection for offenders under the age of 18. She said existing juvenile and family court mechanisms, together with other relevant laws, already provided safeguards for minors. Activist Jatuporn Prompan backed the legislation.