The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship has left everyone in confusion after being pressed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for the exact date on which it will lift its rally to oust the government.
Key red shirt leaders Veera Musikhapong, Natthawut Saikua and Chatuporn Prompan cancelled a press conference and held an urgent meeting yesterday to counter the fresh demand by the prime minister.
After three hours of talks, Mr Chatuporn said the UDD could not come up with a common position. More talks were needed before a final decision.
Mr Abhisit gave the UDD until today to give an exact timeframe for the end of its rallies which have paralysed parts of the inner city. He also accused former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of standing in the way of efforts to end political rifts.
The red shirts have agreed in principle to join the reconciliation process unveiled by Mr Abhisit last Monday . The prime minister's plan to end political divisions could pave the way for elections on Nov 14.
The UDD has yet to say when it will ask demonstrators to lift their occupation of the shopping and business district in Ratchaprasong.
Shooting and grenade attacks on Friday night and Saturday morning worry the prime minister.
He suggested yesterday the attacks were the work of "terrorists" who did not want to the rallies to end, as they face the threat of legal action and criminal charges once the reds go home.
That worry prompted Mr Abhisit to demand the UDD give him an answer by today.
Any delay would put the safety of the public, officials and demonstrators at risk as opponents of the road map proposal could strike again, he said.
"We need an answer so we can move forward," he said in his weekly address to the country.
The prime minister also made clear that dispersing the demonstration on May 15 as the UDD has proposed would be "too late" given the dangers posed.
Mr Abhisit said he would shelve his proposed elections if the rallies continue.
Politicians also need guarantees they will be safe on the election campaign trail, he said.
"If all points in the reconciliation plan are achieved, I can say the government will be ready for the elections on Nov 14. If not, the elections will not take place," he said.
The prime minister also accused his political rival, Thaksin, of standing in the way of the government's reconciliation efforts.
Mr Abhisit is soliciting support for his five-point reconciliation plan. But Thaksin, he said, was one of the obstacles.
"Mr Thaksin is not satisfied with the reconciliation plan because it is not the answer to Mr Thaksin's personal interests in court cases and other matters," he said.
Thaksin was sentenced to two years jail in absentia by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions in 2008 for abusing his authority in the Ratchadaphisek land deal in 2003.
His wife at the time, Potjaman na Pombejra, clinched the deal while Thaksin was in power.
In February, the court ordered the seizure of 46 billion baht in assets belonging to Thaksin and his immediate family after ruling that a portion of the fortune was derived from policy corruption during his tenure as prime minister.
Mr Natthawut said Mr Abhisit's attack on Thaksin could spoil the atmosphere as the red shirts and the government worked on how to solve the political crisis. He should not have made the comments, the UDD leader said.
Thaksin did not react to Mr Abhisit's attack yesterday. He said on Twitter that he was in Saudi Arabia on a rice trade mission.
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