The premier last week put the brakes on a proposal from his classmate General Akanit Muensawat, a member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), to set up a special panel to seek ways to promote peace and reconciliation.

Later, in his television address on Saturday, the premier said everybody should be more careful about the concept of reconciliation, because otherwise it would be nothing more than an “illusion”.

“If we push it [reconciliation] too hard and fast without being careful, it could get stuck and spark a new round of conflicts. Also, conflicts still exist. There will always be two conflicting sides, with one side aiming for peace and another pushing for amnesty. So how will the country move forward?” he asked.

He went on to say that he aimed to build common understanding among opposing sides and end all conflicts before he allowed any more reconciliation committees to be set up.

“I want reconciliation, but I prefer not to exercise my power to grant amnesty by bypassing existing laws,” he said.

On the one hand, Prayut may foresee all reconciliation plans eventually leading to amnesty or pardon proposals, be it an amnesty that is only granted to minor offenders or one that covers one and all. However, as soon as the taboo word “amnesty” is tossed up, there will be concerned or opposing voices, and this could trigger yet another period of turmoil.

Hence, judging from the PM’s remarks, it will not be possible to see reconciliation any time in the near future, especially during this transition period.

As is widely known, the camp of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra is desperately pushing for a “blanket” amnesty, while the other side is doing its best to stop that scenario from happening. So if the junta did give amnesty a nod, it could create a new round of conflict. So, perhaps the safest option would be for Prayut and the junta to block any new proposals for reconciliation.

However, the premier still chooses to think that the biggest obstacle to reconciliation is the criticism his government and the junta is getting from some political groups and citizens, not the fact that his thoughts and approach towards reconciliation could be the problem.

Since Prayut led the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to stage the coup in May 2014, three reconciliation panels have already been in existence. Sadly, none of them got any closer to implementing any plans.

The NCPO set up the Centre for Reconciliation and Reform to promote reform, unity and reconciliation at village and provincial levels, but the centre became obsessed with “adjusting the attitude” of those who were against it. The junta was trying to “fix” those with different political viewpoints.

In other words, Prayut obviously believes that the only way conflicts can end is if the opposition can be turned into an ally made up of people who think like him. However, this will be impossible to achieve and is, perhaps, the wrong approach.

If the premier fears that reconciliation will be merely an illusion, then he should realise that the only way true reconciliation can take place is if all conflicting sides are willing to live with each other peacefully – they can never be forced to do this.