Mourning time opportune to mend fences: junta

"The great loss is an opportune time for show gratitude for the royal benevolence by finding a best way out for Thailand," he said in reference to a snag on coalition formation.

Winai said the CNS would not get involved in the review of electoral fraud cases and that Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratglin was in charge of ensuring the safety of the fivemember Election Commission in connection with the issuing of red cards.

The EC did not request any extra security measures from the CNS as speculated, he said.

He said he could not predict how many red cards to be issued by the EC.

Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said the country could advance forward if parties concerned would mend fences.

Boonrawd said he was optimistic that the EC would successfully complete its mission in ruling on campaign violations, a prerequisite for the endorsement of the balloting outcome.

The Nation