Forget the economy or Thailand's image overseas. They are, in the eyes of Attorney General Julasing Wasantasing, only collateral damage of the on-going political divide. The real victim is far more important, and although it is yet to fall, it's in great danger of collapsing.
In an exclusive interview with The Nation on Friday, Julasing warned that the yellow and red shirts are making it increasingly difficult for Thailand's justice system to function. Political prejudices are interfering with legal matters like never before, although in some cases more than the others. This, he said, is a real problem that has to be stopped.
"I have been told I have to listen to the people. But when the people are divided into two camps, which side should I listen to?" Julasing asked, reflecting on pressure that has been mounting on a justice system trapped in the middle of the political crisis.
He half-jokingly called himself an "orange shirt", someone who loathed both the seizure of the Suvarnabhumi Airport and last year's Songkran mayhem. "I can't live with either incident. The airport blockade brought tears to my eyes and I can't tolerate the Songkran riots either," the attorney-general said.
When justice is obstructed or, in other words, merits of decisions by police, prosecutors and judges are defined by colours, the end can be near, he warned. "We should stop and start anew. If every case is influenced by the yellow or red colours, Thailand's problem is never going to end," he said.
One of the cases in point is Thaksin Shinawatra's assets trial. The yellow shirts have their own perspective on how "justice" should be served, and likewise for the red shirts. Few people are looking at the case with truly neutral eyes.
Heading an agency that represents the state in the Thaksin assets case, Julasing would not comment much on it, only observing that only a verdict acceptable to both sides will bring the political crisis closer to the end or at least will not amplify it. That is easier said than done, he admitted, as a bilaterally acceptable ruling would require seizing some of Thaksin assets and unfreezing the rest.
"The best I can do is instruct prosecutors not to be influenced by colours in their works. And I have also told them justice means fairness and compassion. Under these circumstances it's important not to be too rigid, and national interests and unity must be taken into account every time," he said.
He denied that the prosecutors delayed their decision on whether to indict senior police officer Somkid Boonthanom in connection with the 1990 disappearance of a Saudi businessman because of political pressure. He said the decision had to do solely with Somkid's petition for justice, not the officer's perceived connection with the government.
Saudi Embassy Charge d'Affaires Nabil H Ashri met Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva a day before the prosecutors were to make the decision after the delay. According to Julasing, Abhisit called him and said something that was "hard to forget".
Julasing quoted Abhisit as telling him: "You must have known that the envoy came to meet me and why. I'm not going to interfere with prosecutors' decision. Please just make sure that any decision that you make, you can explain it to the public."
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