Garden parties won't mend political fences, says Abhisit

Success in bringing about reconciliation hinges on the government' s firm commitment not to inflame political conflict, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.

"Prem is not a party to the conflict," he said, arguing it is a misconception that warming ties between Prem and the government could yield reconciliation.

He said he deemed it futile to organise social gatherings as part of a government's publicity campaign because genuine reconciliation could happen only by addressing issues that triggered social divisions.

He said he believed the government had not done enough to resolve divisive issues such as the push to amend the lese-majeste law and the murky roadmap for charter change.

He reminded the government that street protests might resume if there were no clear guidelines on what the charter amendments should entail.

Reacting to Abhisit's remarks, Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said the opposition Democrat Party was trying to mislead the public by claiming an illusory plot to rescue former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra via the charter rewrite.

Prompong said the Democrats fabricated the story in order to sway sentiment against the government.

He said the charter rewrite was an ongoing process as evidenced by the two key amendments passed under the Democrat-led government.

The Pheu Thai Party wanted to amend the charter in order to meet the people's aspirations, he said, blaming the Democrats for rushing to fault the amendments even before studying the details.

He went on the portray the Democrats as being petty for opposing the social party held to boost confidence in flood control.

Under the Abhisit administration, Bt60 million were spent to raise awareness on the national anthem, he said, noting the comparison to Bt10 million spent for Friday's party.