LEAD: Thai cabinet okays amnesty that would cover fugitive ex-premier

Nov 16, 2011, 10:14 GMT

Bangkok - Thailand's opposition party on Wednesday objected to a proposed amnesty that would include fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra among those released on the king's birthday.

The draft decree was endorsed in a closed-door cabinet meeting Tuesday, at which Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's sister, was absent, the Bangkok Post reported.

The proposed royal decree is to commemorate King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 84th birthday on December 5.

It would amnesty all convicts over 60 years old and facing sentences of less than three years, the Post said, citing unnamed government sources.

Thaksin, 62, faces a two-year jail sentence on an abuse of power conviction for helping his wife buy state-owned land while he was prime minister in 2003.

Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Chalerm Yoobamrung, who proposed the amnesty, said Wednesday that a Justice Ministry panel will be formed to study the details of the decree, which were not yet final.

Unlike previous amnesties, it would not require convicts to have served part of their sentences, nor exclude those convicted of corruption, the Bangkok Post reported.

Thaksin fled the country in July 2008, weeks before his conviction, and has since been living abroad, mostly in Dubai.

He has insisted that he will never serve a day in jail for what he claims to be a political conviction.

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the proposed decree undermined rule of law and could bring about another political crisis since its intent was to benefit Thaksin.

The ruling Pheu Thai party has never hidden Thaksin's influence in its affairs.

With his youngest sister Yingluck, 44, at its head, the party won the July 3 general election with the slogan 'Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai does.'

Thaksin, a former billionaire telecommunications tycoon, was prime minister from 2001-06 before being toppled by a coup. During his mandate, he secured a loyal following among many of the urban and rural poor by introducing a rash of populist policies.

Yingluck's popularity has plummeted during recent months over the government's management of the floods which have inundated the central plains and parts of Bangkok.