Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra has vowed to mediate any peace effort between the government and Thaksin Shinawatra if his Democrat Party would allow him to do that.
The only man on the government side who has met Thaksin lately, Sukhumbhand told The Nation in an exclusive interview that reconciliation depends as much on the Thaksin camp as on the Abhisit administration's efforts. One of the biggest obstacles to peace, he said, was the fact that the government is party to the conflict, particularly in the wake of the May 19 bloody crackdown and riots.
He said the government's best bet is to maintain law and order, while laying down the groundwork to ensure that the next general election can take place smoothly.
"In my opinion, the next polls should be the focus in the sense that we could then really start the process of a genuine reconciliation," he said.
"In political conflicts like this one, there are only two major avenues for resolution. First is negotiation. Second is using force."
The governor lauded Prime Minister Abhisit's roadmap as reflecting his good and sincere intentions and said he would be ready to act as a go-between with the Thaksin camp "on strict condition that the party wants me to do so".
Sukhumbhand has the respect of some red shirts. He became the focus of political attention after flying to Brunei on April 19 to meet Thaksin at that country's official residence for VIP visitors. It was not a negotiation but the key message emerging from the meeting was that Thaksin still wanted to be absolved of all crimes before both parties could talk peace.
Another thing learned from the encounter was that Natthawut Saikua was the closest to Thaksin whom he trusted the most.
After his return from Brunei, Sukhumbhand has been telling the government that in the event of peace negotiations, talks would have to be through Natthawut, who talked to Thaksin almost on a daily basis during the red-shirt rally.
At his meeting with Sukhumbhand, Thaksin appeared very keen to negotiate. At one point, he virtually asked Sukhumbhand to pick up the phone and call Abhisit right then and there.
During his interview with The Nation, Sukhumbhand would not discuss the reported "cold war" between him and Abhisit. The governor, however, denied that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's non-involvement in the Constituency 6 by-election campaign was a sign of conflict.
Men in his position had better look neutral in these circumstances, Sukhumbhand said. He also cautioned that in this election battle, the government had to be aware that "sympathy vote" could decide the outcome. In other words, the Democrat Party must be careful not to "overdo" its campaign.