PM pleads for talks with PAD

4 Feb, 2011
Source: Bangkok Post

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) should resort to holding talks with the government to promote understanding instead of only mounting attacks, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Friday.

Mr Abhisit said if the government and the PAD could exchange opinions and giving help to each other, he believed it would be much easier for the ongoing disputes with Cambodia to be solved.

The PAD has planned to hold a major rally on Saturday to mount pressure on the government to do whatever it can to secure the release of Veera Somkwamkid, a Thai Patriots Network coordinator, and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, who were sentenced to eight and six years imprisonment by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for illegal entry and espionage.

The prime minister said while the PAD was putting pressure on the government, Cambodia sent a letter to the World Heritage Committee asking it not to let Thailand host a World Heritage Committee meeting, reasoning that a group of Thai people had called for the government to withdraw from the World Heritage Committee.

"If we can join forces, it would be easier to for us to deal with Cambodia. Cambodia has taken the opportunity of our internal discord to tell the World Heritage Committee that Thailand should not be allowed to host next year's meeting of the committee, reasoning that the Thai people want the government to withdraw from it.

"An abrupt withdrawal from the committee is not good for our attempts to protect our interests," Mr Abhisit said.

The prime minister insisted it is necessary for the government to continue its presence in the World Heritage Committee. Thailand should not admit defeat or make an abrupt withdrawal from the committee, he added.

Mr Abhisit said the government's attempt to reach an understanding with the PAD was going in a favourable direction but declined not to go in details.

On the PAD's planned rally on Saturday, the prime minister said everyone should bear in minds that if the situation developed in an unfavourable way it would do anything good to the country.

He reaffirmed that the PAD protesters would not be allow to intrude into the Government House compound, adding that police would continue to talk the PAD leaders to return part of the Ratchadamnoen Nok avenue for traffic.