Chavalit denies being asked to join Cabinet

Former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday denied that he had been approached to join the Yingluck Cabinet, saying he can work for the country without holding any position.

Chavalit held a press conference to respond to speculation that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra would invite him to become a Cabinet member.

Chavalit said he had not received any invitation and insisted he did not want to become a minister.

"I don't want any position. If someone extends an invitation to me, more discussions will be required. Now, the government already has many options," Chavalit said.

He added that the prime minister could appoint ad hoc panels to deal with particular problems without having to appoint him as a Cabinet member.

He said his advice had been sought on certain problems, adding that he had made three suggestions on how to end the southern insurgency.

He said the southern border provinces should be represented with multicoloured flowers to show that Thailand has ethnic and cultural diversity, but its people can live in harmony.

Both the government and the insurgents should compromise by backing down from their current stands, he said.

Chavalit said local people should also be allowed a degree of autonomy via a special metropolitan administration model. Local people should be allowed to determine what form this model would take, he said.

He supported the government's decision to hold talks with the BRN (Barisan Revolusi Nasional) to seek a peaceful solution to the southern violence.