Thailand's political rivals to meet again May 22

BANGKOK, May 22 (TNA) - Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, in his capacity as Director of the Peace and Order Maintaining Command (POMC), has called a new meeting with representatives of Thailand's seven political rivals, scheduled for May 22 at the Thai Army Club in Bangkok, after there was no conclusion at their first meeting on May 21 although the atmosphere was reportedly good. The participants in Wednesday afternoon's meeting include representatives of the caretaker government and the Election Commission of Thailand (EC), as well as those of both anti and pro-government demonstrators, namely Suthep Thaugsuban, secretary-general of the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC). A high-ranking source later said that General Prayuth encouraged the participants to exchange opinions and aired their proposals and invited them to a new meeting on Thursday, set at 2pm. At the meeting, according to the source, representatives of the caretaker government said they were ready to cooperate with lawful solutions, while the Democrat Party echoed the same stance and also demanded a free and fair general election in which all parties participate. The pro-government red-clad United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) proposed a referendum on political solutions, while the PDRC stood firm that the Thai Senate should quickly appoint a fully-authorized government so that the country has a prime minister to handle a national reform and then the next general election. Caretaker Justice Minister Chaikasem Nitisiri revealed that the army chief had each party finalize its own demands and asked everyone not to post any comment online for the time being, and that the same team of the caretaker government would attend Thursday's meeting. EC Chairman Supachai Somcharoen told reporters, however, that the atmosphere of the first meeting was very pleasant. (TNA)