Is compensation package an answer to reconciliation?
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Xinhua, January 13, 2012
The government's 2-billion-baht compensation package which is aimed at appeasing political victims failed to satisfy all political camps and raised doubts if it could really lead to reconciliation as expected, some analysts noted.
The weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday gave the nod to the compensation measure worth 2 billion baht (62.85 million U.S. dollars). Under the plan, 7.75 million baht (some 220,000 dollars) will be given to the family of each victim, 4.5 million baht (about 141,400 dollars) to the family of the disabled and 225,000 baht (about 7,000 dollars) to the injured.
As recommended by the independent Truth for Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the package includes all political victims dating back to 2005, or the year prior to the 2006 bloodless coup that deposed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Members of pro-establishment Yellow-Shirt and pro-Thaksin Red-Shirt, journalists, troops and police who were injured, maimed or killed during the political protests from 2005 to 2010 are all entitled to the compensation.
People reacted to the plan with mixed feelings. Some people said the government tried to reward the Red-Shirts and appease them while charter amendment is yet to make, but others view the government's motive in a more positive light.
Siripan Noksuan, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, said the compensation is not about rewarding but" healing deep scars in the minds of family members of the deceased protesters."
Yellow-Shirt spokesman Panthep Pourpongpan showed skepticism about the plan, saying he suspected that Yingluck government's main purpose was to benefit the Red-Shirts but had to include the Yellow-Shirts to justify its actions.
For Red-Shirt leaders, the package was a pleasant offer though the compensation for each fatality was less than the 10 million baht (about 314,000 dollars) proposed by the ruling Pheu Thai MPs. Aree Krainara, a former Red-Shirt guard leader, commended the government's decision but said "the compensation is not much for the loss of a life."
Fair and inclusive?
Observers noted that the plan seemed fair and inclusive, especially for supporters, but it is a different story for opponents. The opposition Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva asked why the compensation did not cover people who had been suffered from insurgency in the far South or those who involved in previous political strife Black May 1992 and the 1976 and 1973 student uprisings.
His view was shared by the yellow-clad Panthep who raised question if people who had died and suffered from injuries in past government actions against protesters such as the student uprisings, the war on drugs as well as the Tak Bai and Krue Se incidents in the South during Thaksin administration deserve the compensation or not. Some columnists asked if compensation should also apply to owners of buildings and businesses that were set ablaze and looted by the Red-Shirts during their violent protests and the employees of the businesses who lost income when their workplaces were occupied by demonstrators.
Money is a must but not enough
Many Red-Shirt members argued that financial remedy for victims and their families, though necessary for people who have lost their beloved, cannot solve all problems. Many of them vowed to fight for truth and justice.
Boontarika Taengpetch, daughter of a Red-Shirt protester who died in a clash between Red-Shirts and security forces, was glad to see the promise by Red-Shirt leaders was upheld but she insisted on bringing her father's killer to justice.
Nicha Thuwatham, whose husband Gen. Romklao Thuwatham was killed in the April-10 clash, said all parties involved with past political violence should be prosecuted fairly.
"In order to achieve reconciliation, 'justice' is a must. And ' justice' is not confined to compensation but progress in prosecution which should be in line with legal process. Process of justice and truth finding must be conducted in parallel until they become acceptable to every related party," the widow said.
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