Political differences fine but forego eggs, violence : PM

Abhisit conceded it was no easy task to achieve reconciliation even though the government remained fully committed to closing the political divide.

"My policy is to tolerate political differences but advocate strict law enforcement against violence, such as egg- and stone-throwing," he said.

In his speech to justice officials, the prime minister said he saw his government confronting the dual problem of having to tackle economic and political woes at the same time.

So long as political polarisation persists, it is difficult to revitalise the economy, and the global slowdown, in turn, is undermining the confidence needed to overcome the political turmoil, he said.

While pledging to strive to put politics back on course, he reminded parties concerned that his goal was not to wipe out political differences, which he said would always exist, but to prevent the situation from degenerating into social division.

"Parties concerned should exercise restraint when advocating their differing views. For instance, the political struggle should always acknowledge that the monarchy is beyond reproach," he said.

He said his government would try to avoid confronting or provoking its opponents. This is evident in a decision to move the site for the Asean Summit from Bangkok to Hua Hin.

The PM said he had a firm policy to exercise political tolerance, reminding opponents they were obligated to abide by the law as the government would not allow the breakdown of peace and social order.

The government has never ruled out crowd control if deemed necessary, it just wants to prevent the excessive use of force during anti-riot operations, he said.