Former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh playfully said yesterday that he wished the red shirts would end their rally before his 78th birthday tomorrow.
He called for negotiations, which he described as "the only available way" to solve the problem.
"I think things will be fine. The government wants the protest to be ended while the red shirts want to see benefits from the political system … The military leaders are also very generous and lovely," said Chavalit, who himself served as the Army commander-in-chief and the supreme commander of the armed forces while he was an active Army general.
The ex-premier has appeared on stage during the recent anti-government protests by the red shirts on Rajdamnoen Avenue and spoke up in support of their moves.
Chavalit said he did not think the Army would carry out a crackdown on the red-shirt protests, which has been continuing at the Rajprasong shopping area since April 3. He warned that the use of force would lead to further casualties among the protesters.
"I think the Army found that the use of force is useless because it will cause more injuries and deaths," he said.
The red-shirt leaders had said they would surrender to the police this Saturday to face criminal and security-related charges if the protest ends.
Chavalit, who served as government head for less than a year before the 1997 economic crisis hit Thailand, said that he still believed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva would not postpone his tentative election date of November 14 even though the red shirts had failed to end their protest before his deadline.
Asked to comment on speculation he would be the Pheu Thai candidate for prime minister, Chavalit said he had no political ambitions and he simply was working to help others solve their problems. "It's almost over now. When peace is restored, my mission is completed," he said.
However, he declined to answer clearly whether he planned to run in the next general election. "There are still many months before the election," he said.
The law requires that the prime minister must be an elected member of Parliament.