Vejjajiva willing to talk with protesters

Bangkok : Thailand's prime minister said yesterday the government was ready to hold talks with protesters, who want him to call new elections, but only if they stop throwing blood, blocking government offices and remain peaceful.

For the past week, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has been sleeping at an army base outside Bangkok to avoid mass demonstrations by anti-government protesters. Their rallies have featured shock tactics like splattering jugs of their own blood at his private home on Wednesday and at the government headquarters a day earlier.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators remained encamped in the historic heart of the Thai capital, vowing to wage a "class war" until Abhisit dissolves the parliament and calls fresh elections — a demand he has repeatedly rejected.

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

Pro-Shinawatra group

The group largely consists 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.

Thaksin is popular among the rural poor for his populist policies. They believe 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.

But Abhisit indicated that their recent antics tested the limits of the law — and were testing his patience. He reiterated the government's stance that the protests will be allowed to continue as long as they remain peaceful.