Public Discussions Proposed for National Reconciliation

(07/09/2012)

Public discussions have been proposed on the issue of the root causes of the conflict and ways to achieve reconciliation. The proposal was made by the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand at the fifth meeting of the Committee to Coordinate and Follow Up on Actions Taken to Implement the Recommendations of the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand at Government House. The outcomes of the meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyoot Wichaidit on 30 August 2012, would be reported to the Cabinet. According to the meeting, the public discussions for reconciliation would be held three times in each of the 23 locations (in Bangkok and 22 provinces; 69 times in all), and participation is expected to reach 67,000-69,000 persons. The objective is to provide a stage for dialogue between all parties where they could exchange ideas on reconciliation, gather constructive recommendations to ending the conflict, and build mutual understanding on the path toward reconciliation. Moderators would be selected by local universities and trained specifically for this discussion and participants would be drawn from a wide range of professions and from districts and sub-districts to ensure genuine public participation in the reconciliation process. The Committee also reported the latest figures on the financial assistance for cases of loss of life and injury to those affected by the incidents of political violence, stating that, to date, 1.5 billion baht had been paid out in 1,816 cases, with about 700 more cases still pending.