BANGKOK — Thai protesters seeking a change of government softened their demands Friday, saying they are willing to give the prime minister 30 days to dissolve Parliament and call new elections, instead of insisting he take action immediately.
The offer came a day after grenades killed one person and wounded more than 80 near the red-shirted protesters’ rally site in Bangkok’s central business district.
The Red Shirts consist mainly of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and pro-democracy activists who opposed the military coup that ousted him in 2006.
Jaran Ditthapichai, a Red Shirt leader, said his group held unofficial talks with the government Wednesday and Friday. He said the government had expressed a willingness to compromise, suggesting it could dissolve the government in three months instead of the six on which it originally insisted.
He said the proposal for a 30-day deadline was offered to try to avoid new violence.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva did not respond directly when asked by reporters about the offer.
The Associated Press
