Live on TV: Thai PM vs. protesters
Associated Press
BANGKOK
Thailand’s prime minister met his political opponents on live television Sunday to try to defuse a crisis that has produced huge demonstrations and sent him fleeing to live at an army base, but the protest leaders said new elections are the only answer.
Viewers across the nation watched three men in red and three in blue — the “Red Shirt” protest leaders, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajva and two advisers — shake hands across a conference table before reiterating their sharply different stances. More talks were set for today, but Sunday’s three-hour meeting offered little reason to believe any agreement could be reached.
“Our request is simple and direct. We would like Parliament dissolved to return power to the people, so they can make their decision,” said Veera Muksikapong, one of the protest leaders.
Abhisit has repeatedly rejected the protesters’ demands that he dissolve Parliament, arguing that calling new elections won’t fix Thailand’s political problems.
The talks were a relatively calm moment after more than two weeks of protests that have drawn more than 100,000 people to peaceful but increasingly confrontational rallies against a government that demonstrators consider illegitimate. The protests have raised concerns of violence and prompted travel warnings from three dozen countries.
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