Administrative Court President Ackaratorn Chularat, left, and Supreme Court President Chanchai Likhitjitthaw, right, met for lunch yesterday at the Gianni Italian restaurant on Soi Ton Son to discuss solutions to the current political crisis on behalf of

At yesterday's gathering of about 78,000 local administrative leaders held to honour His Majesty the King, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday spent much of his time during his speech attacking his political opponents and defending himself.

He blamed his opponents for the political crisis, saying that they did not respect the rule of the game.

"They lost [in the election] but they didn't accept it. Instead they verbally abused me from the sidelines," the embattled premier said.

His speech, at the Dhammakaya Temple in Pathum Thani, was supposed to focus on how to use religious teachings in national development.

Thaksin pointed to the need for another round of political reform. He also said there was a need for national reconciliation. "If we continue to bicker, our country will be left behind," he told the gathering.

Thaksin praised the local administrators, saying their improvement had gone beyond his expectation.

He also praised the rural poor. "[The urban educated people] often look down on the poor. They say the poor won't be able to repay their debt," he said. "It's been proven that bad loans among the poor are lower than business people's. The poor are more democratic than those who look down at them."

Thaksin promised a fair distribution of funds to all local administrations, regardless of their political preference. He also vowed that rural school students would soon get cheap laptop computers worth no more than Bt4,000 each.

At one point he admitted that a one-party government, like his, has its weak point. "We grow alone while other parties don't. This is not a middle path," he said.

Earlier, Deputy Interior Minister Somchai Sunthornvut spent 80 per cent of his one-hour lecture talking about government promises. He vowed free university education for local administrators, and satellite-based, high-speed Internet access as well as video-conferencing systems at all 7,000-plus tambon offices.

He promised a videophone for each tambon and tap water in every village - all within five years.

Somchai denied that the event was held to benefit the caretaker government or organise a pro-government demonstration. No previous administration had spent as much money on rural development.

"We are the only government which speeds up spending for your benefit. It takes a lot of money but you do not need to spend a single baht," he assured the audience, almost all dressed in yellow shirts.

Each tambon had been given Bt5,000 to cover the cost of sending local leaders to the gathering, which cost the state Bt39 million.

The government has a poor record on decentralisation and its sudden interest in local administrative leaders has surprised many political observers.

Somchai made pledges on school buses, water trucks and buildings that could later be converted into schools. He said there were still 14,000 villages without access to tap water and he would visit each once they were supplied so he could be the first to use the new tap water. If he keeps this promise it will take him more than 30 years of daily visits.

Many of the participants came from the South, the stronghold of the opposition Democrat Party. They were accommodating when asked about the government's promised package of assistance.

Some administrative leaders began leaving the 2,000-rai temple compound after lunch, hours before Thaksin was supposed to address the crowd at 6pm. By 5pm, more than 5,000 had left.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

Pathum Thani