Opponents of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra rejected yesterday his offer to join a national unity government if he wins troubled elections next weekend.
Thaksin made the offer late on Sunday after weeks of protests to demand he step down.
But Sondhi Limthongkul, a media tycoon and former ally of the premier who has turned into one of his harshest critics, rejected Thaksin's latest olive branch.
"He made the proposal because the protest gave Thaksin no choice," he said.
"Thaksin is insane. He proposed a government of national unity and invited us to join after he labelled everyone against him as the bad guys," Sondhi said on Thai television.
The offer came after protesters staged their biggest rally yet, gathering some 100,000 people late on Saturday to demand that Thaksin resign.
Since calls began early last month for his resignation over allegations of corruption and abuse of power, Thaksin has gone out of his way to appear conciliatory with his rivals.
He has offered to postpone the April 2 polls and create an independent panel to make constitutional changes sought by the opposition, but his opponents have insisted on his resignation before agreeing to any compromise.
The embattled prime minister called the snap election three years early, in hopes of ending weeks of street rallies.
But the leading opposition have boycotted the polls, casting doubt on whether the election will meet legal requirements to form a new parliament.
The opposition boycott and claims of fraud threaten to cause even more trouble for Thaksin after the vote.
RSS