A group of 20 academics and businessmen will today ask Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to step down because they claim he has failed to address the urgent problems facing the country in his seven months in office.

Dr Tul Sithisomwong, from Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine, said the group would submit a letter to Surayud calling on him to resign. "The symptoms of the country after the coup were actually full-blown cancer, but this government has been using a treatment used for early-stage cancer. This government is not attacking the problem where it itches. It only wants to reconcile," he said.

Tul said examples of the government's mismanagement and wrong policies included ratifying a free-trade agreement with Japan and giving autonomy to universities.

He said the government should have scrapped the State Enterprise Capital Act and solved the insurgency in the South, but it had not done anything.

"Our country is at stake. If the country's leader does not solve the problems, when politicians are back to power after the general election, the damage will be much more. We must change the horse during the war because General Surayud is a losing commander. We must change the commander before it is too late," Tul said.

Aran Wonganan, director of the Domestic Public Relations Centre, said yesterday the Council for National Security (CNS) chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin had given a clear signal that the junta would continue to support the prime minister.

He was speaking after a meeting which discussed a call from the Assembly of Isaan People to remove Surayud as PM. The move was supported by some CNS members. The public was more confused when Sonthi gave a big welcome to the group, including having photographs taken with them.

On Friday and Saturday, Sonthi denied he wanted to remove Surayud. He said he was tricked into meeting a group of activists early last week thinking that they would tell him information about undercurrents in the Northeast.

Aran said CSN representative General Pasit Sonthikan insisted Sonthi had always instructed the military to give their full support to Surayud and his Cabinet.

Aran said Sonthi insisted he still supported Surayud. Surayud had also given an assurance that he would not succumb to any pressure groups by stepping down.

"The PM is determined to bring the country to the path of democracy, which is to organise a general election in December," Aran added.

The government will answer all questions posed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on May 24 and will announce its achievements after six months in office.

NLA member Prapan Koonme hit back at Surayud for his comment that people who wanted to oust him were groups that were not taking the national interest into account. He said if that were the case, the lobbying groups would have gone directly to the CNS to remove him because it has the power to do so.

Prapan alleged Surayud himself worked to favour lobbying groups, citing his hasty ratification of the trade deal with Japan and his attempt to bring Somkid Jatusripitak into the government.

He urged Sonthi to remove Surayud because the government had failed to run the country. "Sonthi must decide now because Thaksin will not be a sitting duck and just wait to be listed as a criminal," he said.

The Matchima group, led by Somsak Thepsuthin, had thrown its weight behind Surayud, calling on him to stay put until the general election is held.

"What the country needs most is an elected government to solve the economic problems. The six months left should be time to draft the constitution and prepare the general election," Somsak said.

He called on the Constitution Court to issue a ruling on party dissolution that will not bring the country to a political dead-end.

CNS spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said after its weekly meeting that the agency believed no violence would happen as some had expected because most people in the country understood its work as well as the government's.

"The people with ill intention trying to mobilise people are not likely to succeed and violence is not likely. Some had expected violence in May - this is mid-May and nothing has happened," Sansern said.

The CNS had never put pressure on the government as some said. Both agencies could talk to each other, he said.