Review of Thaksin pardon petition could be lengthy

The Corrections Department has been asked for additional information by the committee examining the petition for a royal pardon for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, panel member Tongthong Chandrangsu said on Thursday.

Tongthong Chandrangsu

Mr Tongthong was speakiing after the panel's second meeting to examine the petition.

At the first meeting, the committee set up by Justice Minister Pracha Promnok fixed a framework to examine the petitioners, the process of making and filing the petition, the form of the petition and the relevant laws.

The panel also wanted to know whether it is necessary for a convicted felon for whom the pardon is sought to have served some time in prison in order to be eligible for it.

Mr Tongthong said the Corrections Department had provided information to the committee but it was not yet enough, considering the fact that the matter is in the interests of the public.

The committee had therefore now asked the department to look as far back as possible into past records of petitions for a royal pardon and report back on its findings, he said.

The additional information required concerns the petitioners in each case and who, other than the convict, stood to benefit from the pardon - such as family members and close associates.

The Corrections Department had also been asked to provide details on the department's normal practice in these matters and whether a petition for a royal pardon can be submitted through any other agencies, he said.

Mr Tongthong said the committee was of the opinion that it needed to have complete references and understanding before making recommendations to the justice minister on whether to proceed with the petition for Thaksin's pardon.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra

He said the petition being examined by the committee is for an individual, unlike the petition for a general royal pardon for inmates throughout the country filed by the Corrections Department on auspicious occasions such as His Majesty the King's birthday.

The committee needed extra time to finish the assignment and could not give a definite timeframe for when the job would be completed.

The Corrections Department earlier submitted the petition for a royal pardon for the fugitve former premier to the Justice Ministry for consideration.

The petition was signed by more than three million people. About two million of the signatures have been verified.

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