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| Southeast Asia |
| Abhisit offers compromise |
| 2010-03-30 |
| [Straits Times] THAI Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told protesters on Monday he would call polls before his term ends but he refused to meet their 15-day deadline, leading to stalemate after a second day of talks. The televised negotiations, aimed at ending weeks of disruptive rallies in Bangkok by supporters of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, lasted two hours, with Mr Abhisit offering the three Red Shirt representatives a compromise deal. Mr Abhisit said he was willing to call elections as early as the year's end, one year ahead of their due date in December 2011, but the two parties parted without agreement, with the premier offering fresh discussions on Thursday. The Red Shirts said they would discuss whether to take up that offer. 'If you want my government... to call an election before our term has ended, no problem. But we have to talk...' Mr Abhisit told the Red Shirt leaders. 'I have one year and nine months left, I want to see the economy improving, I want to see the rules of conduct and atmosphere in this country improving,' he later added. The red-dressed movement says the government is elitist and undemocratic because it came to power on the back of a parliamentary vote after a controversial court ruling ousted Thaksin's allies from power. The group, supported mainly by Thailand's poor rural population, first gathered two weeks ago in the capital's government quarter, laying open again the country's wide social chasm following months of rival street campaigns. |
| Posted by:Fred |