BANGKOK, March 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Some Thai businessmen on Thursdaybroke their silence by calling Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to resign in order to wind up the prolonged political chaos which is on the verge of damaging the Thai economy.

    Although the three most influential business groups, the Board of Trade, the Thai Bankers' Association and the Federation of Thai Industries, have yet to take a political stand, some businessmen have stood out to urge Thaksin take a leave from politics.

    They said the Thai economy might run into another crisis due to eroding consumer confidence and a lack of new investment.

    On Thursday, the Association of Businessmen for Democracy, a group formed from a range of industries, staged protest in Bangkok' s central business district to exert pressure to the embattled Prime Minister.

    "Thaksin's resignation will allow the process of verifying allegations against him to be done effectively and also restore peace in Thai society," said Prasarn Marukpitak, a member from the organization.

    He added businessmen and the Thai people have lost faith in Thaksin and they want him to make a sacrifice and show responsibility so as to pave the way for political reforms.

    The group planned another rally on Silom road to hold on their attempt to oust the premier.

    Analysts say Thailand's economic prospects have been hit by the crisis. Medium-term sentiment remains poor as a prolonged standoff would hurt consumer confidence and investment, particularly the government's 1.8 trillion-baht (45 billion U.S. dollars), five-year infrastructure mega project program.

    Consumer confidence hit its lowest level in five months in February.

    Delays and setbacks in state enterprise privatization and telecom reform remain other concerns affecting corporate earnings prospects.

    On February 24, the prime minister abruptly dissolved the parliament and called snap elections for April 2 as a way out of mounting street protests demanding him step down over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. Enditem