Thaksin petitions peace committee for amnesty

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has petitioned the Committee for Promotion for Peaceful Society seeking amnesty and the expunging of all the previous political charges and convictions from the record.

Thaksin’s personal lawyer, Winyat Chartmontri, told the media today that he has been assigned to submit a petition to the peace committee through the Prime Minister’s Office, seeking the granting of the amnesty under the provisions of the Promotion of Peaceful Society Act.

He said he hopes that the peace committee will consider the petition fully and without bias, in line with the spirit of the law.

He said that Thaksin is old now and he wants to wash his hands of politics for good to pursue a normal peaceful life.

Chatchai Bangchuad, the permanent secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, said that, if the petition were to be submitted, he would call a meeting of the subcommittee to consider it before forwarding it to the peace committee.

He noted, however, that the petition must be related to past political activity to be eligible for consideration.