CNS chairman General Sonthi Boonyaratglin had raised the matter during yesterday's CNS meeting. All of the generals in attendance broke out in laughter as they treated the rumour as a joke, Sansern said.

"None of the CNS members has expressed a desire to step down," he said.

Earlier, short message services had reported that General Saprang Kalayanamitr would leave the council to serve as a deputy prime minister in charge of security.

Cabinet ban on recorders

The Cabinet will ban all audio recordings during its weekly meetings to stop confidential information from leaking out.

Information and Communications Technology Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom told yesterday's session all tape recorders should be barred from the meeting chamber. He had found that some sensitive information discussed at previous meetings had got out.