Bangkok: Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is ready to “sacrifice his family” by ending its political roles so the country can emerge from months of sometimes violent anti-government protests and political stalemate, according to a close aide.
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The offer would include Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, his younger sister, quitting politics.
But Mr Thaksin insists that for this to happen his political enemies must adhere to Thailand’s rules and laws and not block new elections, according to Noppadon Pattama, Mr Thaksin’s legal adviser and spokesman.
“He [Thaksin] is not the root cause of the country’s problem. The problem was caused by the failure to respect the people’s decision [at elections],” Mr Noppadon said.
Anti-government protesters disrupted a snap election Ms Yingluck called for February 2, which was nullified by a court last month.
The country’s Election Commission has proposed holding another election on July 20, which Ms Yingluck’s party Pheu Thai would probably win with the support of rural masses in the country’s northern provinces.
Anti-government leaders quickly rejected Mr Thaksin’s offer.
“Our goal is to get Thaksin into jail. We don’t care who will get out of politics or not,” said Thaworn Senneam, a protest leader.
Opposition Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Shinawatra family had a right to be in politics.
But he accused Mr Thaksin, who lives in exile to avoid a two-year jail sentence for corruption, of making the offer so he could receive a pardon.
“When he talks about this, things seem to boil down to the issue of an amnesty for himself. This is the main problem,” Mr Abhisit said.
Mr Thaksin’s offer came as the Constitutional Court considers an abuse of power charge against Ms Yingluck that could see her forced to step aside within days.
The court will decide on Wednesday whether to give Ms Yingluck more time to defend herself against the charge that relates to the transfer of National Security chief Thawil Pliensri in 2011.
Ms Yingluck, Thailand’s first woman prime minister, is also being investigated for alleged dereliction of duty over a government loss-making scheme to subsidise rice farmers.
She denies any wrongdoing in both cases.
Senior government figures have warned the courts against stripping Ms Yingluck and her cabinet of powers, saying this would be overstepping their authority and be seen as a “judicial coup”.
“If the court rules against the government as some expect, we will see that hell exists,” said Chalerm Yubamrung, labour minister and head of the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order, a government body set up to handle the country’s crisis.
“Within 72 hours, chaos will erupt,” he said.
Pro-government Red Shirts from rural provinces say they will travel to Bangkok to protest if a court orders the dismantling of the government.
Military commanders have again denied rumours they are preparing to stage a coup, saying the speculation arises from paranoia as the army holds exercises for 14 of its rapid deployment forces from Wednesday until Friday.
The military has staged 18 coups or attempted coups since the 1930s.
Thailand’s government has been crippled since protesters took to the streets last November when Ms Yingluck’s party attempted to pass an amnesty bill that would have allowed Mr Thaksin to come home without having to go to jail.
The crisis broadly pits two groups of elite against each other, one backed by Bangkok’s middle class and conservative royalist establishment and the other backed by mostly poorer rural supporters of the Shinawatra family.
