Reconcile or face 'cycle of violence': Thai PM

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BANGKOK, June 2 (AFP): Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday warned the deeply divided kingdom faces a "cycle of violence" unless steps are taken towards reconciliation after years of civil unrest.
Proposals aimed at healing rifts that have seen Thailand rocked by bloody unrest since a 2006 coup have sparked fury among opposition MPs who fear they will open the door for Yingluck's brother-ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra-to return.
Protesters from the nation's "Yellow Shirt" faction blocked lawmakers from entering parliament Friday to debate a disputed reconciliation bill, as barely-concealed political tensions resurface in Thailand.
A rescheduled debate starting on Wednesday has also been "postponed indefinitely", Udondej Rattanasatien, of the ruling Puea Thai Party, told AFP Saturday.
Speaking on a weekly Thai television programme, Yingluck said a "reconciliation process" is the only the way out of years of sporadic unrest which has roughly cleaved the kingdom into "Yellow Shirt" and "Red Shirt" factions.
"The country has suffered a lot. If reconciliation can move the country forward, it is suitable," she said.
"If we don't start (a process), the country will be in a cycle of violence. The country will have no way out."
Yellow Shirt protesters camped out for three days outside parliament to prevent a debate on the reconciliation bill, and had warned they would try to enter the building if lawmakers opened discussions.
Protest organisers, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the Yellow Shirts' official name, who are powerful players in Thailand's colour-coded politics, sent supporters home late Friday after three days of rallying.
Backed by the Bangkok-based elite, the PAD are arch-rivals of Thaksin's "Red Shirts", whose massive rallies against a previous government in 2010 ended in a bloody crackdown.
A PAD statement Saturday said there would be no protests next week, but urged supporters "to be on alert to rally."
Four reconciliation proposals are up for debate, threatening to further polarise politics in the country that has become increasingly divided in the years since Thaksin was toppled by royalist generals.
Three of the potential bills include amnesties that some fear could be used by the government to usher back the divisive former premier, who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption and terrorism charges relating to violence in 2010.
Activity on the streets has been mirrored within parliament in recent days, with police stepping in to protect the house speaker on Thursday from bundles on paper thrown by opposition Democrat MPs angry at his attempt to schedule the debate for Friday.