Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Tuesday he will lead his country into the future, instead of struggling with political divisions of the recent past.
In an interview with Japanese media in Thailand, Abhisit said the events in Thailand since the ousting of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup in September 2006 affected people's confidence in terms of politics and the economy and it needs to be put behind as quickly as possible.
He added his government will implement a reconciliation policy as a priority to restore political and economic confidence.
"I think about the keys to restore stability, confidence in the government to achieve reconciliation among groups in Thailand. I want to do that through providing justice…I will push for a process of political reform where all sides can participate," he said.
Abhisit said his government will prove that it "serves all Thais," not just favored groups.
"If we could get to work and prove that we are here to work for everybody, it will help to heal some of the division," he said.
About Thaksin, Abhisit said the Thai people should move beyond the Thaksin issue and Thaksin himself should come back to prove his innocence via judicial process.
As well as Thaksin and his loyalists, the new Thai premier vowed that the leaders of the antigovernment People's Alliance for Democracy will be brought to justice as well for occupying government buildings and shutting down two Bangkok airports for nearly 10 days in late November and early December.
The 44-year-old Oxford-educated economist and politician was elected Thailand's prime minister last week.
He was born in Britain and educated there from high school through university.
He entered politics in 1992 as a Democrat Party parliamentarian, rising to become party leader in 2005 after having been party spokesman, government spokesman and minister to the Prime Minister's Office.
He became opposition leader in 2008 after the People Power Party, made up of Thaksin loyalists, won the general election in December 2007 and formed a coalition government with five other smaller parties.
Thaksin loyalists claim the army backs the Democrat Party and has intervened in politics, leading to Abhisit's election by parliament as prime minister last week.
In the interview, he also pledged to restore economic stability to bring foreign investors, including Japanese investors, back to Thailand.
He added the Thai economy is tied to the country's politics and the economic situation will improve as the political conflict eases.
"We've very much appreciated Japanese presence as the biggest investor for long time…I've seen Japanese investors come here and stay here even in the hard time during the (1997) financial crisis," Abhisit said.
He also said the government will introduce economic stimulus packages in January and there will be further opportunity for an expansion of investment, by Japan particularly.
As to hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, he said Thailand is ready to hold the summit in late January, but only if all ASEAN leaders can attend.
If some cannot, the summit, which had been set for mid-December, would be held later.
No firm date has yet been set.
