Thai PM agrees on polls in November
Thailand's prime minister said yesterday he was ready to hold elections in November to end a tense stand-off with opposition protesters, subject to certain conditions under his reconciliation roadmap.
The five-point plan calls for respect for the monarchy, greater social equality, an impartial media, an independent probe into the current political crisis and a debate on the need for constitutional reform.
"I'm convinced that it will not take long to achieve national reconciliation and when we achieve national reconciliation the government is ready to hold elections on November 14," said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
"I think this is the best solution at the current time," he said in a nationally televised address.
The mostly poor or working class "Red Shirts" protesters have occupied parts of Bangkok since mid-March, defying a state of emergency in their bid to topple a government they see as elitist and undemocratic.
There have been a series of tense confrontations between the demonstrators and the security forces in Bangkok, where 27 people died and nearly 1,000 were injured in unrest last month.
The Red Shirts have reinforced roadblocks and stepped up security checks on the perimeter of their sprawling protest site, which has been fortified with barricades made from piled up truck tyres, razor wire and bamboo stakes.
Abhisit last month rejected a compromise offer by the Reds to disperse if elections were held within three months, and the protesters have reverted to their original demand for immediate polls.
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