Pardon fight gains pace.
Opposition to the royal pardon for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is heating up ahead of the red shirts’ campaign to submit a petition to His Majesty the King. The People’s Alliance for Democracy, the Privy Council and the Bhumjaithai Party have made clear they oppose the petition and are pressing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to prevent it going ahead.
The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship and other supporters of Thaksin plan to wrap up the signature campaign tomorrow before submitting it to the Office of His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary, probably on Aug 7. Core leaders of the PAD yesterday held an urgent meeting to discuss a number of issues including the royal pardon petition for which the red shirts were hoping to get a million signatures.
Pibhop Dhongchai, a PAD leader, said the petition was a political move that would affect the monarchy and the judicial process as well as national security. The petition would put national security at risk by worsening the rifts between members of the public, he said. The government is obliged to protect the monarchy and the country’s judicial system, Mr Pibhop said.
