Thai Senate rejects gov't-backed amnesty bill

Thai Senate on Monday rejected a government-backed amnesty bill which critics say would pave way for the return fugitive former prime minister Thakisn Shinawatra.

In its first reading, the 140-member Upper House voted unanimously against the much-debatable draft legislation. A total of 91 senators spoke during the 12-hour long debate.

Earlier this month, the Lower House gave green light to the final readings of the bill, which stipulates that all political prisoners who committed crimes after the 2006 military coup would be discharged and freed; those whose cases are still under the court process would be dropped.

The passing of the bill led to widespread street protests in the Thai capital city over a week. Opponents, led by the opponent Democrat Party, said the bill would only whitewash Thaksin, who is widely seen as de-facto leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, for all the corruption cases he had committed while in power