Q1 (by Nirmal Ghosh, Straits Times): Since assuming office you’ve spoken of reconciliation. Yet one and half years later, we see Thailand even more divided. There’s no sign of any reconciliation. It seems as if there is suppression of the elements that you are talking about, part of the Red Shirt movement, the leadership, and so forth. How realistic is this reconciliation plan of yours given this history?
PM Abhisit: Well, first, I’ve always talked about reconciliation that is based on the rule of law.  Every time that we took an initiative …

PM Abhisit (centre) is seen briefing the foreign press about the recent Bangkok violence
Last Saturday, ten days after the violent riot in Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok ended with arson attacks and lootings, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had an official meeting with the representatives of foreign media, after a briefing to foreign envoys and representatives of international organisations, to explain what had happened during the two-month-long protest of a group called the “United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD)” or the “Red Shirts” and what the government plans to do …

 
On January 14, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has accepted an invitation of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) to deliver a keynote address to FCCT’s members and guests at a gathering at the Grand Ballroom, Intercontinental Bangkok.
Here is the full text of his address entitled “Meeting the Challenges of Change”:
 
Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
It’s a great pleasure for me to be back here again in this forum. I suppose you want to make it as an annual forum. I wondered about that, I actually asked Khun Panitan (Dr. …

The newly formed New Politics Party (NPSP) yesterday picked Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), as its first leader during the general meeting in Bangkok.
Media mogul Sondhi, the founder of Manager Media Group, received a total of 1,741 votes in the non-contested election to lead the NPSP which has been formed in early June this year by PAD leaders and members.
According to the party’s bylaws, Sondhi later hand-picked Somsak Kosaisuk as his deputy, Suriyasai Katasila as the party’s secretary-general and ten other persons, including …

PAD leaders at Thammasat University
 
 
 

Members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) yesterday voiced their support for the establishment of a political party in a bid to establish the so-called “New Politics” in Thailand.
Several ten thousands of PAD members yesterday rallied at the football stadium of Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus to mark the first anniversary of last year’s 193-day-long protest against the attempts by the then governments to amend the kingdom’s constitution and to dissolve a special agency investigating alleged corruption cases against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and five Cabinet members yesterday comfortably won in a no-confidence vote after two-day censure debate in the parliament.
Prime Minister Abhisit, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij, Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Phataraprasit, Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul and Deputy Interior Minister Boonjong Wongtrairat were accused of malfeasance and violation of the Constitution by the opposition led by Puea Thai Party.
Out of 449 members of the House of Representatives, Abhisit, as well as Korn, Pradit, Chavarat and Boonjong, received 246 votes of confidence each while Kasit, …