In reversal, Thai PM agrees to talk face-to-face with protesters to reduce risk of violence

In quick reversal, Thai PM to talk with protesters

BANGKOK — Thailand’s prime minister agreed Sunday to hold direct talks with leaders of anti-government protests to defuse growing tensions, making an abrupt reversal that played out on national television.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has repeatedly rejected demands from the “Red Shirt” protesters that he dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections. The protesters had issued an ultimatum threatening to march to the army base that has served as Abhisit’s base since protests started March 12. They threatened to scale the walls of the compound unless he agreed to meet them face-to-face.

Abhisit went on national television earlier in the day saying he would not bow to ultimatums. Two hours later, he agreed to talks.

“To find a way to restore peace and minimize the chance of violence, the prime minister has accepted the condition to negotiate with the protesters,” a member of Abhisit’s staff said in a brief televised announcement.

The two sides planned to meet at 4 p.m. (0900 GMT; 5 a.m. EDT) at an academic institute on the outskirts of Bangkok, though the ground rules still needed to be determined.

“The negotiations have to be broadcast live so the people can watch,” protest leader Jatuporn Prompan told a crowd of thousands of cheering supporters at the main protest site in the historic heart of Bangkok.

Abhisit’s office said the matter of a live broadcast would be worked out at the talks, which would include three protest leaders and four government officials, including the prime minister.

“We have only one demand, that Abhisit must dissolve Parliament immediately,” said Nattawut Saikua, another protest leader.

Abhisit’s sudden reversal came amid growing concerns of clashes in what so far has been a nonviolent bid to bring down the government.

Four Thai soldiers were wounded early Sunday when two grenades were fired into the army barracks at the 11th Infantry Regiment that is serving as Abhisit’s base, Thai media reported.

More than a dozen explosions have hit government targets since the protests began, including attacks on two television stations and the customs department on Saturday that wounded at least eight, according to the Thai news agency, TNN.

The Red Shirts held a full-day rally Saturday that drew more than 60,000 supporters and took a more confrontational stance than previous gatherings.

The protesters, known formally as the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, forced soldiers to retreat from parts of Bangkok’s historic district, where the rallies have been concentrated.

The Red Shirts declared it a symbolic victory, although authorities said the soldiers would regroup later at other locations.

Abhisit has called in thousands of troops to guard Parliament, government buildings and other key locations amid fears of violence. Protesters have denounced the show of military force as unfitting for a democracy.

The protesters consist largely of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption, and pro-democracy activists who opposed the army takeover. Critics say the protesters are merely pawns serving Thaksin’s ambitions to return to power.

The Red Shirts believe that Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional ruling class and that only new elections can restore integrity to Thai democracy.

Thaksin’s allies won elections in December 2007, but the resulting governments were forced out by court rulings. A parliamentary vote brought Abhisit’s party to power in December 2008, leading the Red Shirts to complain his rule is undemocratic.

Leaders of the protest movement have increasingly portrayed the demonstrations as a struggle between Thailand’s impoverished, mainly rural masses and a Bangkok-based elite impervious to their plight.

The Red Shirts drew international attention earlier this month with a “blood sacrifice” in which they collected blood from supporters and splattered it at the gates of Abhisit’s office, the headquarters of his ruling party and his private residence.