Chavalit is 'loyal to Prem'

Gen Chavalit

"I do not mind Prem's harsh words because the harsher his warning, the more he cares about me," he said.

The main reason for making a comeback to the political stage was to foster reconciliation, he said.

In an interview with Nation Multimedia Group, he talked about a wide range of issues but mostly tried to dispel doubts about his loyalty to Prem.

The speculation on an estrangement surfaced last week after Chavalit claimed he was denied access to Prem when he wanted to pay his respects before entering the monkhood last year.

Prem has said he was unaware of Chavalit's ordination, but admitted that he conveyed a friendly warning via an aide to Chavalit. The message was that Chavalit should exercise prudence before deciding to become a Pheu Thai member to avoid the risk of being seen as a traitor.

"Oh, he is a senior figure, so we have to heed his advice," Chavalit said in his response to Prem's remarks.

He said he did not want to involve Prem in a verbal spat since Prem might have been misinformed about his decision to team up with the main opposition party.

His failure to meet Prem before his ordination might have arisen from a misunderstanding in coordinating their schedule, he said.

He sent a letter requesting permission for a meeting via Prem's aide Admiral Pajun Tampratheep, but Prem had an engagement.

'TIES ARE CORDIAL'

He said their ties remained cordial since Prem called him to wish him a happy birthday in May.

Regardless of Prem's concern, he would proceed to resume his political activities because he saw this as the only way to reduce the conflicts.

He adopted the Pheu Thai's banner to have a springboard to influence the course of politics, not to take sides.

Before joining Pheu Thai, he tried but failed to act as a middleman to bridge the political divide. This prompted him to switch tactics by choosing one of the two rival camps, he said.

His plans were meant to boost Pheu Thai's popularity to the point that it could defeat the rival camp through the ballot box, not to provoke the rival camps into fighting one another with violence.

His vision is to form an interim government, comprising all stakeholders, with the sole mission of subduing the tension.

At this juncture, the reconciliation government is the priority, not seeking a royal pardon for fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, he said.