The Council for National Security (CNS) yesterday re-jected anti-junta protesters demands to hold talks with them at Sanam Luang and for its leaders to step down, but promised that the demand for a general election would be fulfilled.

CNS spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that the generals would not resign now and also rejected the possibility of a public debate with anti-junta Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship at their protest site.

However, the CNS would ensure that a general election was organised on schedule, San-sern said in response to the three demands made by the group.

"You do not need to expel us because we will definitely leave as promised when our mission is over," he said.

He said the CNS members were military officers and did not need to make speeches at Sanam Luang because they were not politicians.

Earlier in the day, anti-coup protesters demanded that the CNS hold negotiations with them at Sanam Luang or via Channel 11 and organise a referendum for voters to choose between dictatorship and democracy.

Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship chairman Manit Jitchankrab led his group to submit a letter calling on CNS chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin to step down. "We want the Council for National Security members to resign and hold an election immediately," said Weng Tojirakan, one of the nine rally leaders who submitted the demand letter.

They demanded dissolution of the CNS, restoration of the 1997 Constitution and an early general election. Army secretary Maj-General Weeran Chanthasartkosol accepted their letter at the Army headquarters.

The anti-coup protesters included PTV's Veera Musiga-pong and other Thaksin Shinawatra supporters.

The protesters continued their daily demonstrations

at Sanam Luang yesterday, though an earlier plan to march from the protest site to the Army headquarters was called off.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister General Boonrawd Somtas yesterday said that deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra should negotiate with the government as the next step to ease political tension, since Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has said he ready to hold talks for national reconciliation.

He denied reports that Thaksin had offered huge sums of money to the military to drop corruption case against him and dismissed rumours that Thaksin had paid Bt2 billion to the Army units that control security.

"It is impossible because the CNS has hundreds of eyes and ears. There is no way that the Army units could be bribed," he said.

CNS chief Sonthi also denied that Thaksin had offered a Bt2 billion bribe to end the conflicts.

"Where did you get the news from?. I do not know who leaked such rumours,"' he said.

Sonthi was speaking while on a brief visit to the Bang Lamphu area, where street vendors complained to him about economic problems.

The Army chief said he had always wanted to go there to meet people on the street, adding that he would relay their problems to Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont when he attends the weekly Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

Thai Rak Thai group leader Chaturon Chaisang said his group would today appraise the government's performance in the nine months since the coup. He denied joining the anti-coup protesters to plan a rally, saying they were friends and had held only general talks at Rattanakosin Hotel, near Sanam Luang.

Democrat Party spokesman Ong-art Klampaiboon criticised the anti-coup organisations and said their ulterior motive was to reap interest for their own groups, not for the country. He called on them to stop their political movement, claiming they had damaged the political and business climate.

Listen to an interview with charismatic protest leader Jakrapob Penkair at nationmultimedia.com.