His personal idea is that it is not the right timing to propose amnesty for the TRT politicians.

Surayud said Council for National Security's chief Gen Sonthi Bunyaratglin raised the idea with him during a meeting on Saturday morning.

"He asked me whether it is ok if he told the public about it. I told him that it is fine because it is still an idea and his own idea," Surayud said in a news talk television programme.

In an unexpected move Gen Sonthi said CNS support an idea to grant amnesty to TRT executives whom the Constitutional Tribunal banned them from politics for five years.

The Constitutional Tribunal disbanded on Wednesday their party and banned all 11 party's executives.

The Tribunal based its bans on the executives on the CNS's orders issued after the coup d'etat that ousted Thaksin last year.

Sonthi said the CNS supported the amnesty wanted to promote reconciliation in the country.

He claimed in the interview that Surayud supported the idea.

"Most of these 111 people weren't involved with what happened,'' he said, referring to the Thai Rak Thai executives who were barred.

The politicians who are considered not involved in the wrongdoings could be granted the amnesty, he said. However the government will propose it to the National Legislative Assembly for consideration and it will be issued as an Act.

Sonthi said Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont supported the idea.

The government and NLA will jointly decide which executives should be given the amnesty.

Asked if the government will not propose the amnesty to the National Legislative Assembly for consideration, Surayud said for now the government has a job to study into the Tribunal's rulings to learn about their consequences and to know what to do next concerning the rulings.

The prime minister said it would be very difficult to known which the TRT's executives were involved or not involved in the wrongdoings.

The procedure of issuing amnesty, an NLA member will propose it to the government and the government will study it to know whether it is appropriate or not before it is forwarded to the NLA. The government could propose its own draft to the NLA for consideration.

The Nation