Thai opposition party hails PM\’s reconciliation plan

BANGKOK, May 4 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s main opposition party on Tuesday expressed its appreciation for a reconciliation roadmap raised by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva a day ago.

Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchayudh fully praised the roadmap by Prime Minister Abhisit for reconciliation and an election date, saying the five-point roadmap was praiseworthy and the prime minister was right to have abandoned his position of using force against the protesters.

Chavalit made the remarks after presiding over a ceremony attended by Puea Thai members to mark the Coronation Day scheduled on May 5.

Prime Minister Abhisit said in a televised address on Monday night his government is ready to hold a new general election on Nov. 14 if the reconciliation process is accepted by all sides and the situation returns to normal.

It is the first time that Abhisit announced a clear date for a fresh election since the protesters, the \”red-shirts\” began holding a mass rally in Bangkok on March 12.

Chavalit said the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), also known as the red-shirts movement, also expressed satisfaction with the prime minister\’s proposal. \”A House dissolution, a general election and having the monarchy as the country\’s main institution are what everybody wants\”.

Meanwhile, the former prime minister said that he believed all parties, including Puea Thai, were ready for a general election.

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Nattawut Saikua (C), leader of Thailand\’s United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), speaks during a press conference in Bangkok May 4, 2010. The Thai anti-government protestors\’ group announced by mid-Tuesday that the group has not yet decided how to respond to the prime minister\’s reconciliation roadmap, the Thai News Agency reported. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

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