Prime Minister Says the Legislative Body to Decide on Amnesty Bills

(13/03/2013)

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that it was the duty of the legislative branch to study details of amnesty bills and make decisions on them. Speaking about amnesty bills, the Prime Minister pointed out that legislators should work with the Government’s whip to find the best solutions to the political conflicts. She said the Government is responsible for looking after the people’s well-being and solving economic problems. It is the Government’s duty to bring about national unity and reconciliation for the peace and happiness of the country, so that the people would have solutions to problems. The Prime Minister said that she did not want to see the use of violence, but wanted to see all sides exchange views and opinions in reconciliation dialogues in order that the country could move forward. In her keynote address at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand’s 2013 Annual Correspondents' Dinner with the Prime Minister on 11 March 2013 at the InterContinental Bangkok Hotel, Prime Minister Yingluck said that her first year in office was mainly about addressing the urgent needs of the people. The challenge was to deal with floods while at the same time deliver the promises made to the Thai people during the campaign and policy announcement to Parliament in August 2011. She realized that for all of her goals to be achieved, there needed to be political stability, as it is the foundation for sustainable economic growth. The Government has addressed the issue of national reconciliation, by engaging all parties in the process and making sure that everything proceeds in accordance to the rule of law and the parliamentary process. However, she said, this is a process that takes time and it is an ongoing process. But she believes that it has led to a degree of political stability that has been well-received by the international community.