BANGKOK, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's caretaker government has called on the former opposition bloc to reconsider a proposal that they join a "national government" after the April 2 general election, the Thai News Agency reported Tuesday.

    Caretaker Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office Suranand Vejjajiva said Tuesday morning that the proposed "national government" would pave the way for the second-round political reform desired by all parties.

    Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made the proposal during his election campaign in Bangkok Sunday evening that a "national government" be set up after the upcoming snap election.

    He invited all political parties, including those do not run in the early poll, and representatives of anti-government groups led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to join the "national government" to brainstorm ideas to solve national problems and forge ahead the second-round political reform.

    "The caretaker prime minister has a good intention to invite all parties to participate in a national drive for the political reform through constitutional amendments. It's unfortunate that the former opposition bloc rejected the proposal. I'd like them to reconsider the proposed idea," Suranand said at Government House here before the cabinet's weekly meeting.

    Thaksin's proposal was rejected by both the PAD and the former three opposition parties - the Democrat, the Chart Thai and the Mahachon Parties - which have boycotted the April 2 snap election.

    Meanwhile, Thaksin, who is on a two-day visit to the country's northern province of Chiang Mai, his hometown, chaired the cabinet meeting via video conference from his private residence.

    Suranand told journalists that the caretaker premier wants to avoid confrontations with his opponents. Enditem