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Published on August 4, 2007

"No problem with any move that's in accordance with democratic principles," he said.

Sonthi also confirmed that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had called him after the September 19 coup.

"It was a long time ago. We talked on general topics, like brother to brother," he said.

Reacting to Thaksin's statement that the lack of military cooperation had caused the flare-up of violence in the South, he said he saw Thaksin's decree dissolving the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre as triggering the insurgency.

In a related development, a ranking member of the Prachakorn Thai Party issued an open letter condemning Samak for abandoning his old party for a "well-replenished" banner.

"Samak is a Prachakorn Thai founder but he decided to abandon ship in order to team up with People Power, which has plenty of supplies," Sonthiya Sawatdee said in his letter.

Sonthiya said Samak was turning his back on his old party, even though executives had begged him to lead them once again in April.

He claimed Samak might have an ulterior motive in accepting the leadership of People Power Party - seen as a proxy party for Thaksin.

Samak and the party's financier are known to share a common grudge against General Prem Tinsulanonda, the president of the Privy Council, he said.