Special report: Crisis in Thailand

    BANGKOK, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silpa-archa has offered to mediate between all conflicting parties to end Thailand's current political rifts, local TV reported Saturday.

    Banharn said at his party's headquarters here on Friday that he is willing to be a mediator as the heated political situation is approaching its peak.

    "If nobody else is offering, I'm willing to try to mediate an end to the current political discord in our country," Banharn was quoted by local TV Channel iTV as saying.

    "But I'll talk with the caretaker government first, to see if it's ready to step back," the leader of the Chart Thai Party told journalists.

    The Chart Thai Party is one of the three main former opposition parties, the two others being the Democrat and Mahachon Parties which are boycotting the April 2 election,.

    He said he disagreed with the caretaker government's populist projects and the policy on the privatization of state enterprises, fearing that all state assets would be sold out to foreign investors, thus leading to a possible national collapse.

    "Once EAT, the state-owned power agency, is listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), I myself will lead demonstrators to protest the government's move," he said.

    The Chart Thai Party leader, who once joined Thaksin's Thai RakThai (TRT)-led government coalition, said, however, that he is ready to protect Thaksin and disagreed with an idea raised by anti-Thaksin groups led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) that the caretaker premier's assets should be seized.

    "What all parties should do now is collaborating to ease the current political tension. Verbal threats and pressure will only make the situation worse and worse, as the caretaker prime minister will never bow and surrender," he cautioned.

    "The opponents should provide a good way out for the caretaker premier," he added.

    Meanwhile, Thaksin told a large crowd of his supporters while campaigning at a local temple in Ban Pong District of the west-central Ratchaburi Province Friday evening that he was encouraged by his advocates and would continue to work to retain the country's democracy and fight against those who are trying to destroy the national democratic rule. Enditem