A movement calling itself the People’s Amnesty Network has urged lawmakers to expand the scope of political amnesty bills currently being deliberated in the House to include offences under Sections 110 and 112 of the Criminal Code.
These laws concern physical harm and insults against the monarchy and members of the royal family.
The House on Sept 16 approved in principle three amnesty bills, proposed respectively by the United Thai Nation Party, the Thai Teachers for People Party, and the Bhumjaithai Party.
However, according to Natchanon Pairoj, the network’s representative who submitted a petition letter to parliament yesterday, offences under those sections have been excluded from all three drafts after nine rounds of vetting by the House committee.
Section 110 pertains to acts of physical harm or attempted violence against the Queen, the Heir-Apparent, or the Regent — offences regarded as severe crimes against the state.
Section 112, more widely known as the lese majeste law, prohibits defamation, insults, or threats against the King, Queen, Heir-Apparent or Regent. Although it involves no physical violence, it remains a serious criminal offence under Thai law.
Mr Natchanon himself was sentenced by the Appeal Court on Feb 17 to two years in prison for violating Section 112 in a case linked to the distribution of the so-called Red Book, which was deemed to contain content hostile to the royal institution. The lower court had previously acquitted him due to insufficient evidence.
“Despite its name, the ‘Social Peace Promotion Bill’ will never bring genuine reconciliation if it continues to carry double standards, granting amnesty only to selected groups of offenders while leaving others behind,” said Mr Natchanon, who is currently out on bail.
He added that several lawmakers have already submitted reserved opinions and proposed amendments to include offences under Sections 110 and 112, which could still be incorporated during the committee’s ongoing review process.
The network is calling on the three political parties with the largest number of MPs to support such proposals, he said.
Sasinan Thamnithinan, a Bangkok MP from the People’s Party (PP), who came to receive the letter, said both the PP and the Pheu Thai Party would take the group’s appeal into consideration during further deliberations of the matter.