The Election Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, says signs of negotiation between Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and PDRC Secretary General Suthep Thuagsuban reflect positiveness despite the different pre-conditions that both sides have.
He further asks for all sides to join the negotiation process with sincerity and keep control of their people to prevent violence. Mr.Somchai expressed the opinion that the move brings hope to society, although agreement on how the negotiations should proceed are still undecided. The format of the negotiation process can be decided when the two sides finally meet.
He believes next week’s talks won’t be the final answer to the problem; authority figures will be included in this round of talks to create a clearer picture of each side’s proposed conditions.
However, if violence continues, progress in the talks will be impossible. The Election Commissioner asked both sides to control the level of violence from within their groups to create an environment for talks to take place. Groups stirring up violence could possibly be planning to prevent any talks occurring, therefore the government must reinforce security while opposing sides must also keep control of their members.
When asked whether names on the list of negotiators included Prime Minister Yingluck and Mr.Suthep, the EC commissioner refused to reveal any names, saying those who are willing to talk will be included to find a way out of this crisis and must be those with enough authority to make decisions. Meanwhile talks during the week will include Luang Pu Buddha Issara and former PM Somchai Wongsawat.
Source: http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/newsen/NewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNPOL5702280010006