Stung by criticism that he is backing reconciliation efforts to get Thaksin Shinawatra back in order to be rewarded with the premiership, Sonthi Boonyaratglin has struck back with claims that certain people are trying to discredit him.
‘IN IT FOR PEACE’: Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin.
In an exclusive interview with the Bangkok Post, Matubhum Party leader Gen Sonthi, who chairs the ad-hoc House committee on national reconciliation, urged the public to understand he had spearheaded the push for reconciliation as he had a strong desire to see Thais live in peace and harmony.
It was that desire which had spurred him to ask King Prajadhipok's Institute (KPI) to conduct research on solutions to national reconciliation.
"We have learnt a lesson that reconciliation in many countries is reached only when those in conflict fight until one side has a clear advantage over the other.
"If we let our country reach that point, it can do more damage, that's certain. It is time for all Thais to talk to each other for the sake of the nation," Gen Sonthi said.
The reconciliation effort, therefore, will help prevent future violence as there is no political agenda behind it.
"Frankly speaking, I have never travelled to meet Thaksin and talked to him [about the prime minister's job]. I am not that important to Thaksin. What criticism there has been of me is politically motivated rather than factual," the former coup leader said.
Gen Sonthi has been accused by his critics and the opposition Democrat Party of trying to help the former prime minister return home without a two-year jail term sentence hanging over him in exchange for Thaksin supporting Sonthi to become the next government leader.
The accusation spread after the KPI unveiled its proposals to Gen Sonthi's committee. Its recommendations include granting an amnesty to political offenders and dropping corruption charges lodged by the now-dissolved Assets Scrutiny Committee against the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.
The ASC was set up by the coup makers who toppled Thaksin on Sept 19, 2006.
"I have no right or duty to tell anyone to drop corruption charges lodged by the ASC. It is a KPI proposal based on its research findings. We have to accept it," he said.
On April 6, 307 MPs and senators in a joint House sitting voted in favour of forwarding the KPI's proposals on national reconciliation to the cabinet for consideration.
Gen Sonthi said he hoped the cabinet will consider the proposals carefully and come up with effective supporting measures and laws to bring about unity and reconciliation as quickly as possible.
"The government must find a solution on the basis of the principle of unity and reconciliation," he said.
Gen Sonthi urged those who oppose the KPI proposals being vetted by the cabinet to open their minds and accept them as the study on national reconciliation had been conducted in a correct and systematic manner.
The vote upset the KPI, and its secretary-general Bowornsak Uwanno even threatened to withdraw the proposal, a move strongly opposed by Gen Sonthi. The institute should be aware that it had done the best it could and had maintained its neutrality, he said.
Mr Bowornsak earlier said he wanted the House to extend the committee's tenure until the end of the next parliament session to allow the report to be discussed more widely as proposed by KPI.
The rift over the reconciliation plan has raised concern of more street protests as opponents suspect the whole scheme is merely to benefit Thaksin.
But Gen Sonthi was not convinced it would trigger more rallies as "people have learnt a lesson from the past protests and are now able to seek the facts by themselves".
He insisted the atmosphere of corruption and political division in the Thaksin administration six years ago justified the staging of the coup. He warned the army that there are no grounds at the moment for another coup.
"If the military wants to stage a coup again, it must think hard because of the changing complexities of society and the people's acknowledgement of that," he said.
Gen Sonthi denied he was a source of the political conflicts that arose after the Thaksin administration was toppled and culminated in the bloody clashes between the red shirts and security forces two years ago at Ratchaprasong intersection.
In his opinion, he is a victim of a range of people who are trying discredit him to gain political and other benefits for themselves.