Thai protesters occupying Bangkok's main shopping district for two weeks said Wednesday they were open to talks but they also took steps to prepare for a clash with armed troops threatening to forcibly evict them. While the demonstrators in Bangkok fortified their base with bunkers built of sharpened bamboo poles and tyres, nearly a thousand protesters in northeastern Khon Kaen province seized an 18-car train carrying soldiers. The comments on talks signaled some flexibility in a tense six-week confrontation that prompted the central bank on Wednesday to say interest rates would not start rising from a record low until the political situation was clearer. While some Asian countries have already started to reverse steep declines in interest rates, the Bank of Thailand announced it was keeping its benchmark rates at 1.25 percent, noting that heightened political risk was “affecting confidence, tourism, private consumption and investment.” The protests have frightened away tourists following a deadly clash on April 10 between the army and the demonstrators that killed 25 people and wounded more than 800. Interviews with leaders of the mostly rural and working-class “red shirt” protesters indicated they may bend on their demands for a snap election. Talks between Abhisit and the protesters collapsed last month after two rounds when the red shirts rejected an offer to dissolve parliament within nine months -- a year early. It is unclear if Abhisit would agree to a three-month timetable. In recent days he has shown no sign of compromise. Government spokesman Panitan Watanayagorn said Abhisit would be willing to hold talks with the protesters only if they agreed not to escalate tensions - a vague requirement that could suggest their rally must end before negotiations can resume. He declined to elaborate or to comment on the protesters' insistence talks be conducted through a third party. The offer of talks comes two days after hundreds of armed troops converged on a road in the financial district, just an intersection away from the shopping area controlled by the protesters.
