Dhipavadee, who has been working to resolve the iTV saga, admitted that the problems surrounding the channel were much harder to crack than she had thought. She will now ask the Cabinet to decide whether to temporarily take iTV off the air.

"We have been trying to keep iTV afloat but after a week of dealing with this matter, we realised we must report the facts to the Cabinet and ask it to make a decision,'' she said.

Although the Cabinet resolution on February 27 stipulated that if iTV could not pay a fee, fine and interest of more than Bt100 billion by Tuesday, the Cabinet could revoke its concession. She said Cabinet members would be given information about how to manage the frequency if the concession was scrapped.

Channel 11, of the Public Relations Department, is a state agency and is therefore prevented from running iTV, a private company. However, MCOT-run Chan-nel 9 is a public company, which could operate the station with the approval of its board.

But a meeting of the MCOT board, which was due to discuss the management of iTV yesterday, was called off because of a lack of quorum. Only four board members attended while regulations stipulate that at least five must be in attendance. Another meeting was called for tomorrow.

MCOT board chairman Bunplook Chaiket said members would discuss iTV's operation after the Cabinet makes its decision tomorrow.

The next question is how to negotiate with iTV about its debts to the authorities and how to transfer government-owned equipment back into state hands.

And if iTV staff face the chop, the authorities must ensure they get severance pay, the minister said.

The MCOT union called on the board to think carefully before taking on the management of iTV.