US Senate · Thai Enquirer
House Passes Amnesty Bill 306-141, Excluding Youth Section 112 Cases
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The House of Representatives voted 306-141 on Wednesday to approve a Senate-amended political amnesty bill covering offences linked to two decades of conflict involving Yellow Shirt, Red Shirt and People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) movements, while excluding Section 112 of the Criminal Code (lese-majeste) cases that have affected participants in the youth-led pro-democracy protests since 2020.
Key facts
- Two MPs abstained, clearing the Peaceful Society Promotion Bill for the next constitutional stage
- Abhisit, who was prime minister during the 2010 military crackdown on Red Shirt protests that left about 90 people dead, later participated in anti-government protest activity that fed into the 2013-14 PDRC movement, including publicly
- Abhisit also questioned the Senate’s addition of offences under the 2018 law governing the acquisition of senators to the bill’s annex
- The dispute centred on Section 11, which creates a special mechanism for people who committed certain offences while under 18
Summary
Two MPs abstained, clearing the Peaceful Society Promotion Bill for the next constitutional stage. The legislation is expected to benefit about 6,000 people, but a Senate amendment closes a pathway for people prosecuted over Section 112 offences committed while under 18 to seek termination of their cases.
The dispute centred on Section 11, which creates a special mechanism for people who committed certain offences while under 18. Under the House version, juvenile defendants whose cases fell outside offences listed in the bill’s annex could request consideration of rehabilitation measures and possible termination of proceedings. The process was not automatic and had to be initiated by the defendant.