PAD vows to stay put at Government House

Three PAD leaders - Chamlong Srimuang, Pipop Thongchai and Somsak Kosaisuk - held a press conference to affirm their stand that the proposal of the university rectors was not acceptable to them.

The rectors have proposed that the government set up an independent body to begin political reforms to try to end the current crisis stemming from the months-long protests by the PAD.

On Saturday, PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila had said the PAD could not accept the proposal to have the government as a manager of political reforms because this government was a nominee of the Thaksin Shinawatra government and had come to power with a hidden agenda.

Chamlong told the press conference Sunday that the PAD saw the rectors' proposal as good but the PAD had its own way to push for political reform.

"We hereby affirm that the PAD will stick to its way and will not join representatives of the 24 universities," Chamlong said.

Chamlong said such an independent committee would take time to study political reforms and it was uncertain if the proposals of the independent committee would be accepted by the prime minister.

"So, if we stop our demonstrations and wait for the independent committee, we will be wasting the chance of many people," Chamlong said.

Somsak said the 24 universities had at least confirmed that the old politics was vicious and rotten.

Pipop said the proposal of the 24 rectors was similar to the proposal to set up the National Reconciliation Commission to study how to end the southern violence.

The commission, headed by former prime minister Anand Panyarachun, made proposals only to be ignored by the Thaksin government, Pipop said.

Chamlong said the PAD could not give a specific time frame for completing its own blueprint of political reform.

The PAD would hold a seminar on new politics on Wednesday.