Thai PM talks to protest leaders,sticks to stand

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva held direct talks on Sunday with leaders of anti-government protests to defuse deepening...

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva held direct talks on Sunday with leaders of anti-government protests to defuse deepening tensions,agreeing to their demand that the meeting be broadcast live on national television.

After weeks of protests that prompted Abhisit to seek refuge at an Army base,the two sides sat across a conference table and shook hands. Our request is simple and direct: Dissolve Parliament for the people to decide again, said Veera Muksikapong,a protest leader. He was joined by two other protest leaders,all dressed in their signature red shirts.

Abhisit accompanied by two advisers,all wearing blue shirts reiterated his position that dissolving Parliament immediately would not solve Thailands deep political crisis. I have to make a decision based on a consensus from the entire country,including the Red Shirts, Abhisit said. We have to think: Will dissolution really solve the problem? Abhisit has repeatedly rejected the protesters demands that he dissolve Parliament and call new elections.

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Thousands of protesters gathered in Bangkok awaiting direction from their leaders on how to respond if talks failed. During more than two weeks of protests,the number of participants has peaked at more than 1,00,000. The protest movement consists largely of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra,who was ousted by a 2006 military coup.

The protesters issued an ultimatum Sunday threatening to scale the walls of the Army base where Abhisit has been staying unless he agreed to meet. Abhisit went on television saying he would not bow to ultimatums. But two hours later,he agreed to the talks.