Thai PM has landmark talks with protesters

Thailand's embattled Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday began landmark talks with anti-government protesters, aimed at ending two weeks of street demonstrations, media reports from Thailand said.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, along with representatives of his government, met with leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD). They greeted each other warmly just before the meeting at the King Prajadhipok Institute on the outskirts of Bangkok.

No one knew what to expect of the meeting, which was the first between Abhisit and the UDD leaders - often called red shirts - since they started street protests March 12.

Demonstrators who had massed outside the 11th Infantry Regiment compound in Bangkok to pressure Abhisit to resign and call new elections were called back to the main protest area in the old part of the city, UDD leader Nattwuth Saikuer said.

The Prime Minister and United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship's teams decided to meet for talks again on Monday after failing to agree on any point on the first day.

Abhisit addressed the nation early on Sunday to rule out being pressured into talks with the "Red Shirts" who support former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, but shortly after made an about-face and agreed to the meeting.

"The government's position is that we want to decrease conflict. We made a proposal and the protesters accepted -- it is a good sign, it is a good way out," said Satit Wongnongtoey, minister in the premier's office.

The protesters have only one demand -- the departure of an administration they criticize as elitist and undemocratic.

A dozen people were injured over the weekend, including four soldiers wounded Sunday when grenades were lobbed at the gate of the barracks where Abhisit has been forced to live and work since the protests began.

Saturday saw three blasts, targeting two television stations run by the army and the government, and another on the customs department.

- Asian Tribune -