The Thai Rak Thai Party yesterday labelled anti-Thaksin Shinawatra groups as undemocratic.

The party's spokesman said the movement to oust caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin was an attempt to install a new leader via undemocratic means.

Spokesman Sita Divari said yesterday the country would go into paralysis if it were left without a leader.

Trying to oust Thaksin while politics and a new election date remained uncertain could be seen as pressuring for a new leader through an unconstitutional process, he explained.

"The Thai Rak Thai Party follows the advice of His Majesty the King and is sticking to the path of reconciliation. We want politics back to normal as soon as possible, irrespective of the courts considering dissolving several parties.

"We want all these processes ended soon and we will accept the outcome so politics can return to normal," he said.

Touching on the recent revelation that Thaksin sent a letter to US President George W Bush in April, Sita said it was "normal" for a national leader to contact other leaders.

He criticised outgoing Senator Kraisak Choonhavan for exposing the communication and revealed legal action was being considered.

Sita said Kraisak should have been in possession of the full text of the communication before speculating publicly.

He cited other instances where Kraisak had allegedly made claims based on partial information, such as "revealing" the discovery of mass graves in the deep South.

He said the presence of the bodies had been explained by forensic scientist Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunand.

Kraisak claimed on Friday that Thaksin had sent a "secret" message to Bush, in which the premier allegedly complained there was a plot afoot in Thailand to oust him.

Samatcha Hoonsara

The Nation