I was 'pressured' to switch sides : Banharn

Banharn spoke yesterday at a meeting of former MPs and the executive board of the former Chart Thai Party about the future political path of their new party, Chart Thai Pattani. Fifteen former MPs of the now defunct party are moving to the new party.

The Chart Thai Party was dissolved by the Constitution Court last week for engaging in electoral fraud.

Banharn's brother Chumpol Silpa-acha assumed leadership of the new party yesterday.

Jongchai Thiengtham, the former deputy leader of Chart Thai, defended Banharn's decision. He argued that the Democrat Party could form a coalition with 220 MPs, even without the Chart Thai Pattana joining the coalition.

"They invited us to join, so we will, but we're not a determinant party in the coalition," he said, adding he believes all the former Chart Thai MPs will stick it out with Banharn.

Banharn told reporters yesterday that he did not wish to talk about politics as he had been banned from politics for five years and wished to enter monkhood.

However, he spoke at some length to his former party MPs to defend his decision to try to form a coalition with the Democrats.

Banharn, himself a former premier, told his MPs that he wished to see a strong coalition government that can sail through the current political storm. Political developments have happened "very quickly" over the past days, Banharn said, adding the Kingdom was at a "political dead end".

He warned the country could suffer more hence the MPs must switch sides and join a new coalition so that the country could move forward.

Two former Chart Thai MPs, Nirote Sunthonlekha from Nakhon Sawan and Chada Thai-saet of Uthai Thani, expressed their dissatisfaction with Banharn's decision. They said it would be hard to work with the Democrats on the ground, especially in the North and Northeast where they could be competing with each other.

Banharn tried to convince the two by saying his decision was to enable "the country to find a way out".

Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban and Army chief Anupong Paochinda made telephone calls to Banharn yesterday urging him to stick to his decision to switch sides to reduce the current political tension.