Abhisit and Thaksin: Never the twain shall meet

Perhaps you can tell me whether an Abhisit-Thaksin summit (off the record or otherwise) could take place at all after you have digested the nuances and subtleties that I have managed to extract from the current prime minister and ex-premier.

This was my exchange with PM Abhisit during a "Twitter interview" on Monday night on this particular subject:

Q: Thaksin says he is ready to talk to you. Will you talk to him?

A: I thought he said he wouldn't talk to me.

Q: He said he was ready ... but he didn't know who to talk to.

A: You see?

Q: Aren't you trying to play hard to get?

A: No, it has nothing to do with my personal feelings. My duty is to follow the law. Khun Thaksin must abide by the law like everyone else.

Q: A Twitter follower has a question for you: If you had a face-to-face meeting with Thaksin, what would you tell him?

A: I will tell him to come under the law - and then society will think about forgiveness.

Q: Does that mean that if Thaksin didn't come back to serve his jail term, you wouldn't talk to him?

A: I want everyone to respect the law.

Q: Mr Abhisit, you are not answering my question.

A: If you read carefully, the answer is there.

Q: Can I presume it's the way I interpret it?

A: Probably, yes.

Q: If I invite both of you for a chat, would you come?

A: Khun Thaksin wouldn't come. You and I are in Thailand.

Q: Well, we can chat through Twitter

A: The number of permissible characters [on Twitter] is too small.

Q: Brevity may at times be better. Lengthy talk may lead to the trouble we are facing today.

A: Some things need to go in-depth. We can't be superficial about it.

Q: That means both sides continue to speculate on the other's direction then?

A: No one needs to guess my direction. I am interested only in the country's direction, and to do the right things.

The next day, Thaksin wrote in his Twitter account:

"Mr Abhisit says I don't want to meet him. Who wouldn't want to meet the prime minister? But I also realise that Khun Abhisit is very busy with lots of problems. I can wait."

On the same evening, Thaksin went on his Internet radio programme, repeating the same theme, adding:

"I am ready to work together (with anyone) for the country's sake … but the main condition is that there must be justice for me."

There you are. Perhaps the two aren't meant to meet anytime soon anyway.

What it boils down to, I presume, is this:

Thaksin wants to tell Abhisit: "I will return only after an amnesty."

Abhisit in turn might want to make it loud and clear: "Come home. No one can stop you. I will visit you in jail."