Thailand: A Possible Amnesty and Tension Control

Thai coup leader and military chief Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin hinted June 2 at a possible political amnesty before making a retraction and apology to Thailand's Constitutional Tribunal on June 4. Political amnesties are typically used in Thai politics to inject calm into confrontational situations, though to be credible they must be impartial. Although Sonthi retracted his statement, which was made on the military's behalf, he has not ruled out an amnesty as an option for the Thai parliament. Keeping the amnesty option on the table gives the government additional flexibility for controlling the high tensions in Bangkok.