Hej
The Wall Street Journal har en artikel om det politiska läget och den pågående försoningsprocessen i Thailand, kanske någon finner den läsvärd.
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Reuters
Thai Prime Minister Yingluck.
However, true reconciliation is not something that can be legislated. It depends on the truth being established, but that is not something that Thailand's political establishment can accept.
The Truth for Reconciliation Committee has limited power and has made little headway in investigating the crimes of past governments. Two years after army snipers were shooting protesters in the streets, the Department of Special Investigation has found that state authorities were responsible for the deaths of at least 25 people, while conservative estimates put the true figure at three times that. At least the government is now paying the families of all the dead $245,000 per victim, although in return they are required to give up all lawsuits against officials.
The lack of accountability enrages the red shirts, and many now feel betrayed by a deal that trades away their demand for justice for the return of Mr. Thaksin. His televised address to supporters on the second anniversary of the army's crackdown struck many as patronizing and self-centered. "We must save personal issues for later. We must think first of the whole," he explained. "If there's reconciliation, then there's a chance for me to come back and do good things for my brothers and sisters."
But ultimately the red shirts may have no choice but to be patient. Once safely in Thailand and with his most talented lieutenants back in politics, Mr. Thaksin will be a formidable force again. Ms. Yingluck made a slew of ambitious promises to improve the lot of the poor, but it's unlikely she can carry them out without her brother's direct help.
On the other side, the Democrat Party and the yellow shirts face a bleaker future. Having outlived their usefulness, they have evidently been forsaken by their backers in the military and the palace.
Having failed to use populism to fight populism, these institutions are counting on the judiciary and the unelected bodies strengthened by the military's 2007 constitution to rein in Mr. Thaksin. The Constitutional Court recently stopped the parliament from debating constitutional amendments to loosen the grip of these safeguards. Should they fail, there is always the threat of lese majeste accusations and another military coup.
The palace must regard this as an imperfect solution, but with the king ailing and elderly, it had to reach an accommodation with Mr. Thaksin. The fact that the deal is opposed by radicals on both sides suggests that it has a chance of restoring balance to Thai politics, at least for a time.
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