Govt distances itself from Nitirat

Key Cabinet figures yesterday maintained that the government has no plan to seek an amendment to Article 112 of the Penal Code regarding lese majeste.

Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul, responding to an open letter by 224 international academics and activists in support of the Nitirat group's campaign for amendment, said he saw no need for a written reply. "It's because the government has no intention to change Article 112," he said. "Those people may not understand about the Thai way of life".

The letter, dated February 1, was addressed to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said the ruling Pheu Thai Party has retained its stance of not seeking amendment to Article 112. He regarded the call by the international scholars as "their personal viewpoint". He said that both the prime minister and Yongyuth Wichaidit, the Pheu Thai leader, have stated clearly the government would not seek changes to Article 112.

Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Prom-phan yesterday repeated his claim about opponents setting up a war room and citing the lese-majeste issue as a pretext to topple the government by April.

"I have heard that a war room has been set up to oust the government," he said.

Jatuporn did not identify the parties supposedly involved in the plot, but said the lese-majeste issue would be distorted in order to pin the blame on the government.

Commenting on a video clip revealing red-shirt chairwoman Thida Thawornseth's remarks about the linkage with the Nitirat academic group, he said the red shirts had never denied their ties with Nitirat.

In the clip, Thida drew an analogy to portray the reds being the right hand and Nitirat being the left hand working in concerted effort in a two-pronged strategy.

Jatuporn said the reds and Nitirat were free to pursue their separate ideas.

"I am not panicked into abandoning [Nitirat] but I, Pheu Thai and Nitirat have respective stands," he said.

Even though the campaign to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code could solicit 10,000 signatures of support, there would be no MPs daring to vote for the amendment, he said.

He said Article 112 was not a problem in itself but the enforcement of the law under the Abhisit Vejjajiva government had been problematic. In 2002, there were no lese-majeste cases, he said, pointing out that under Abhisit's leadership, the cases soared to more than 100 in 2009.