Thailand's prime minister ready to dissolve parliament

Thailand's prime minister has said he is ready to dissolve parliament in September, paving the way for elections, in a bid to end a crippling political crisis.

Abhisit Vejjajiva announced the time-frame on Thursday after anti-government protesters, or the so-called red shirts, accepted his reconciliation plan which includes holding early elections on November 14.

Earlier, legislators from his ruling Democrat Party held talks in parliament to refine the reconciliation process and discuss the dissolution date.

Abhisit floated his five-point roadmap on Monday, including the offer for fresh elections in November – about a year before his term expires – on condition that all parties accepted it and dropped their demand for immediate polls.

He said the red shirts must also abandon their protests that have brought weeks of chaos and occasional deadly clashes to the Thai capital, Bangkok.

"Everybody can calculate the date," Abhisit said, indicating that parliament will be dissolved between September 15-30.

"If they don't go home, I'm not going to dissolve parliament," added Abhisit in a live interview on ASTV. "I repeat, I am not negotiating with anybody."

Under the Thai constitution, parliament must be dissolved 45 to 60 days before an election. The timing of the dissolution has been a crucial issue, and the red shirts rejected Abhisit's earlier offer to dissolve parliament by the end of the year.

Abhisit has said he wants enough time in office to pass a national budget for next year. But both sides want to be in control when a key reshuffle of top military posts occurs in September.

The red shirts however remain suspicious, and are demanding a specific date before they end the rallies that have paralyzed the commercial heart of Bangkok.