Govt panel says it will hold public hearings

A special government committee has acknowledged the final report of the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand and is using its recommendations to hold public hearings, the spokesman of the panel said yesterday.

Weerawong Jitmittraparp, the spokesman of the government panel following up on the proposals of the TRCT, said his panel was using parts of the TRCT's proposals to hold public discussions.

He said the government was also speeding up the remedy process for all sides affected by the 2010 political violence.

Weerawong spoke to reporters after his panel held a meeting to discuss the TRCT report.

The spokesman said the panel saw that government agencies must study the possibilities of proposals from the TRCT, and send opinions to the government.

Weerawong said his panel did not consider the details of causes of the violence and abuses during the 2010 political violence because it saw that the judicial procedure and courts would have the final say on the facts of such incidents.

But the panel wanted to call on members of society to consider the report with reason and refrain from being emotional.

Weerawong said his panel would only acknowledge the TRCT report without endorsing it or agreeing with it because it has yet to study reports from other agencies, including the House, the King Prajadipok's Institute and some private organisations. He said it would be up to the courts to decide who was right or wrong in the political violence.

The spokesman said the panel would not review facts in the TRCT report as demanded by Pheu Thai MPs Kattiya Sawasdiphol and weng Tojirakarn. He said facts would be left for the court to consider.

Earlier, the panel was headed by deputy prime minister Yongyuth Wichaidit, who retired yesterday.

Weerapong said Yongyuth's resignation would affect the work of the panel only temporarily, as a new chairman would be appointed soon.

In another development, Pol Col Prawes Moonpramook, deputy director-general of the Department of Special Investigation, said DSI investigators were summoning commanders of Army divisions and battalions that deployed troops to crackdown on red-shirt protesters to testify.

Prawes said DSI investigators wanted to know how many troops were deployed to exact locations. He said the commanders had so far postponed from testifying.

Also yesterday, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra assured outgoing Japanese Ambassador Seiji Kojima that the Thai government attached importance to finding the truth about the death of Japanese cameraman Hiroyuki Muramoto. Yingluck gave the assurance when the ambassador visited her to say farewell before he leaves Thailand.