Thai army chief expects PM mulls reconciliation talks with ex-PM Thaksin

BANGKOK, February 16 (TNA) - Thai Army Chief General Udomdej Sitabutr, who is also Deputy Defence Minister, says Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha is likely to accept for his consideration a proposal on reconciliation talks with self-exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In response to the proposal, recently aired by a National Reform Council (NRC) member, Wanchai Sornsiri, that Prime Minister General Prayut discuss national reconciliation with Thaksin, General Udomdej told journalists on Monday that he could not answer the issue, which concerns the prime minister himself, but he believed that the prime minister would accept the proposal for his consideration. General Udomdej also said soldiers had not arrested demonstrators who called themselves “resistant citizens” at the Pathumwan Intersection in Bangkok last Saturday, but police had arrested and taken normal legal actions against them after several warnings. General Udomdej stressed that more of such movements would be handled, pointing out that the interim government has appropriate public forums for expressions and legal actions are to be taken against what is beyond the scope of laws and any unacceptable rally. The Thai army chief opined that last Saturday's demonstration should not relate to a recent call by the European Union (EU) for the interim Thai government and the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to lift the martial law. According to the army chief, the demonstrators might not intend to provoke any violent response from the military and everyone was understood to be innocent.(TNA)