Senate passes amnesty bill, excludes royal defamation
The Senate has passed the second and third readings of an amnesty bill for political offences, excluding royal defamation cases from eligibility, but including cases in which the accused is under 18 years old.The second and third readings of the bill, known as the Promotion of a Peaceful Society Bill (พ.ร.บ.สร้างเสริมสังคมสันติสุข) were passed by the House of Representatives on 21 October 2025. The bill was forwarded to the Senate on 28 October 2025. The House dissolution in December 2025 stalled the process until it resumed on Tuesday (30 June). According to Section 3 of the bill, the amnesty will not cover three categories of offences: corruption, offences against life and body, and royal defamation. Some members of the Senate Committee on Amnesty Bill proposed an amendment to Section 3 of the bill so that individuals charged with royal defamation for acts committed before they were 18 would be eligible for an amnesty.Senator Pornchai Witayalerdpan stated that it is important to understand internationally recognised principles of juvenile justice, which are based on the fact that minors have not yet reached maturity or developed the capacity for sound decision-making. Their judgment and ability to control their behaviour remain significantly limited.He also noted that the royal defamation charges pressed against minors typically stemmed from online expression or participation in political protests, which were far less severe than sedition or terrorism. Pornchai argued that Section 3 should specify that royal defamation cases are excluded from amnesty, except for those where the accused are under 18. Pornchai said that this amendment would spare at least 20 minors from criminal proceedings and help them reintegrate into society.However, senators voted 126 to 15 in favour of the original version of Section 3 as written by the committee, rejecting the amendments proposed by a minority of the committee.In addition, senators also voted 102 to 16 in favour of adding an exemption in Section 11 of the bill. Section 11 states that for those under 18 who committed offences which will not be eligible for amnesty, rehabilitation would be offered before the case is forwarded to the public prosecutor. The prosecutor then would exercise discretion to offer special proceedings instead of criminal prosecution, and may request the court to order the termination of the case if the case is already under trial.Most senators agreed to add a second Clause, stating that the first Clause of Section 11 will not be applied in royal defamation cases. After the Senate finished consideration, the Promotion of a Peaceful Society Bill was eventually passed by the Senate by a vote of 102 to 3, with 22 abstentions.The bill will be returned to the lower house for further consideration. If approved, the Prime Minister will then submit the draft bill to the King for royal assent.The bill has been criticized by civil society for being selective, as it prohibits amnesty for royal defamation, while the list of eligible offences in the Annex does not include the charge of harming the Queen or her liberty under Section 110 of the Thai Criminal Code. On the other hand, it grants amnesty for those charged with overthrowing the government under Section 113 and terrorism under Section 135.According to the bill, amnesty will cover cases in the 20 years between 1 January 2005 and 16 September 2025. This period has witnessed several key political protests, ranging from the People's Alliance for Democracy or Yellow Shirts, the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship or Red Shirts, the People's Democratic Reform Committee and the anti-junta movement in 2014 to the recent mass protests in 2020.
eng editor 3
Fri, 2026-07-03 - 12:22
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