Royalist advice on royal pardons

The Bangkok Post (29 July 2009: “Expert: Pardon can’t reverse verdict”) has a story recounting the advice provided by well-known royalist Thongthong Chandarangsu regarding the UDD’s controversial petition for Thaksin Shinawatra to receive a royal pardon.

He says that a petition could be “submitted to the King only in two cases: to seek a royal pardon, or to appeal for royal intervention in other matters.”

Thongthong, relying on hoary royalist propaganda, claims that a “petition has been a means of bonding between the monarchy and the Thai people for hundreds of years.”

Claiming that a “royal pardon cannot reverse a court verdict and [warning that] politicians must avoid dragging the monarchy into politics,” Thongthong states that: “The decision to grant a royal pardon rests with the King.” He added that when ” filing a petition, petitioners could cite their past contribution to society or any hardship suffered as a result of their conviction as a reason to appeal to the King for a pardon.”

He also said political conflicts should be resolved through political means.

Meanwhile, “Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has brushed aside speculation that the red shirt movement’s plan to submit the petition to the Royal Household Bureau on Aug 7 had any significant implications.” It is claimed that the date marks the beginning “of armed clashes between government forces and communist insurgents in 1965.”

The UDD’s Jatuporn Prompan claimed that they already had about 3 million signatures for the petition.

Whether true or not, the government parties are scared: “Deputy Interior Minister Boonjong Wongtrairat said his Bhumjaithai Party had produced stickers with a slogan opposing the signature drive. The stickers are being distributed to people across the country.” Meanwhile, “Four big billboards will also be erected in key areas of Bangkok to discourage the petition campaign.”