PM gets over 100 hate calls everyday

Sirichoke Sopha, an aide to the premier, said hate calls were made to Abhisit's mobile phone about 100 times a day since the House elected him prime minister.

Sirichoke said Abhisit mostly received the calls himself and tried his best to explain his election to the callers.

Once the prime minister became busy with his work, Sirichoke answered the calls on his behalf.

He said most callers used rude and abusive language and the callers said they knew Abhisit's mobile-phone number from the taxi drivers' community radio station.

"The prime minister would like to answer the calls by himself because he wants to explain the issue to the callers," Sirichoke said.

"The prime minister will definitely not change his number."

Sirichoke said it was not true that the prime minister used only soldiers as his bodyguards. He said the bodyguards were provided by the Armed Forces Security Centre and the bodyguards included both soldiers and police.

He said the prime minister would like to travel alone during his private trips but the bodyguards regarded it as their duty to protect him all the time.

Meanwhile, Abhisit said yesterday that he is not afraid but he has to be careful following reports that there were attempts to assault him.

He said he had learned that members of certain action groups were angry and would like to attack him.

The prime minister said intelligence officials, who mixed among the protesters in front of Parliament, found that some protesters carried some arms and concentrated acid solutions.

"The protest leaders might not know about the weapons but some of the protesters might be angry," Abhisit said.

Asked if he is afraid, Abhisit replied: "I can't afford to be afraid because I volunteered to do this job."

Also yesterday, Suriyasai Katasila, a coordinator for the People's Alliance for Democracy, said he believed Abhisit had really received the intimidating hate calls.

He said PAD leaders also received such phone calls after the taxi driver community radio station publicised their phone numbers.

Asked to comment on the threat calls against Abhisit, Pracharaj Party leader Snoh Thienthong said yesterday that people with anger and grudge could do anything.

"And nothing else could make people more angry and vengeful than politics," Snoh said.

He said he believed the country would never become peaceful although the Cabinet members would be skilful in running the country.

"The country will collapse and the government will be hit by the boomerang effect," Snoh said. He suggested that Abhisit should end the conflicts now by resigning to pave the way for setting up a national unity government.