House speaker backs amnesty bills' passage
House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has urged government and opposition whips to push forward the amnesty bills for political offenders, believing successful passage of these bills would foster national reconciliation.
Mr Wan said on Saturday the amnesty bills are currently under review by a parliamentary committee. The bills require discussions by all whips before they can be presented to members of the House of Representatives for deliberation.
The Pheu Thai Party has drafted its own amnesty bill to pardon political offenders, although it reiterated the legislation will not include amnesty for those found guilty under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law.
Three other amnesty bills, separately proposed by other parties, including the opposition People's Party, have also been submitted to parliament.
On Oct 14 last year, the House rejected a proposal to add lese majeste to a list of offences that can be pardoned under a new amnesty bill, with 270 MPs voting against the offence's inclusion and 152 voting to support the push.
The amnesty bills are being highlighted after the government decided to deprioritise its controversial casino bill ahead of a parliament session next week. The political amnesty bills, currently lower on the parliament meeting's agenda, will be moved up.
Mr Wan on Saturday acknowledged splits over the bills, anticipating further revisions and the government's need to listen to all viewpoints to achieve consensus.
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