Chart Thai to join coalition govt

Chart Thai to join coalition govt

Chart Thai party leader Banharn Silpa-archa said Monday his party would join a coalition government led by the People Power Party (PPP).

Speaking to journalists at his home while wellwishers presented him with happy New Year greetings, former prime minister Banharn said an official announcement on teaming up with PPP in the coalition government by the Chart Thai and Puea Pandin parties would be made jointly on Wednesday.

Mr. Banharn said he had decided to join the PPP after senior executives of PPP, led by Somchai Wongsawat, a brother-in-law of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, visited him on Friday night while he was receiving a treatment for high blood pressure at a Bangkok hospital.

He said Mr. Somchai had told him that PPP could accept the five conditions proposed earlier by Chart Thai and Puea Pandin Party, but asked Mr. Somchai to also invite the Puea Pandin Party, led by Suwit Khunkitti, former information and communication technology minister in the Thaksin administration.

PPP senior executives on Saturday invited Puea Pandin Party to join the coalition government, said Mr. Banharn, adding that he would confer with Puea Pandin senior officials on January 2 and would make a joint announcement the same day.

Dismissing news reports that his party had bargained for ministerial seats as a condition in joining the PPP, Mr. Banharn said his party never bargained for ministerial portfolios because he realised the seats would be allocated in accordance with his party's winning in the Parliament seats.

Regarding the yellow and red cards being given to elected members of the House of Representatives by the Election Commission -- paving the way for by-elections, tentatively set for January 13, Mr. Banharn said whether his party would cooperate with members of other parties in contesting the by-elections would depend on future events.

When asked whether there would be problems in the new coalition government because it will be formed by several political parties, Mr. Banharn said there should not be any problem "if the supervisor is a good person." (TNA)