Pracharaj, Matchima Thippatai, Ruamjai Thai Chat Pattana to merge

The leader of the merged party and other details will be worked out and known within the next 24 hours, he said.

Korn made the announcement after a meeting of leaders and leading members of the three parties at his house.

The three parties aborted their initial attempts to merge and form a party since Matchima Thippatai and and Ruamjai Thai Chat Pattana were simply groups of former MPs because they could not agree on leadership and power sharing.

Attending the meeting were Matchima Thippatai leader Prachai Liewpairaj and Matchima Thippatai's Anongwan Thepsutin and Somsak Thepsutin.

Apart from Korn, Pracharaj leader Snoh Thienthong and Chianchuang Kalayanamitr, Aram Lohveera, as well as Suchart Bandasak also represented Pracharaj to attend the meeting..

Bannawit Kengrian represented the Ruamjai Thai Chat Pattana to the meeting.

Korn said an official press conference will be held Sunday to announce the merger.

Prachai said he decided to merge his party with the two others after seeing a picture of late former prime minister Chatichai Choonhavan with other veteran politicians.

Prachai said he believed that Chatichai would like politicians in these three parties to work together.

Snoh appeared under tension and declined to talk to reporters after the meeting.

Earlier, Prachai led a mass defection from Snoh's Pracharaj to set up the Matchima Thippatai. Snoh and Prachai since then exchanged public criticisms several times.

The merger was announced just a day after a group of Matchima Thippatai announced it would leave the party out of dissatisfaction against what they called Prachai's dictatorship.

Some of them, including Sophon Phetsawang, a former deputy leader of the Matchima Thippatai, have already left the party to join the For the Motherland Party.

The Nation