BANGKOK, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The government should take responsibility for the deaths during the red-shirt protests before considering the opposition Puea Thai Party's reconciliation plan, said Jatuporn Prompan, a Puea Thai MP and co-leader of the red- shirts movement, on Monday.
"The red-shirts and I will not act as an obstacle for the party 's peace talk plan, but that cannot be a reason for the government to ignore the fact that 91 people have been killed," Jatuporn said, adding that he is ready to follow his party's five-point reconciliation plan proposed Thursday.
Moreover, he said the anti-government red-shirts is not asking for amnesty as alleged by Democrat spokesman Buranaj Smutharaks.
The reconciliation will happen only if the red-shirts get justice and equality. But if the government has no respect for the opposition, as it did in the past, and refuses to be responsible for the casualties during the anti-government rally in April and May, there should not be any reconciliation, he said.
"Reconciliation does not mean that the opposition begs the government for help. Reconciliation will happen only if both sides are sincere to reconcile," said Jatuporn.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawatra's spokesman Noppadon Pattama said on behalf of the Thaksin that he is glad to see both sides having a peace talk, adding that all parties, not only the government, or the red-shirt or Puea Thai, should take part in the talk.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday said that Puea Thai' s proposal was welcome news.
Puea Thai Party, on Thursday, proposed a five-point reconciliation plan, calling for all sides to hold talks to explore ways to end political conflict and achieve peaceful reconciliation.
After the latest chronic protest by the red-shirt protesters, which killed 91 people and injured nearly 2,000, the prime minister came up with some projects aimed to achieve national reconciliation, including setting up Reform Committees led by former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun and social critic Prawase Wasee. The panel, however, is not accepted by the red-shirts.
