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Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat yesterday insisted he was not an ingrate and praised his brother-in-law and ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra as a good man regardless of what had befallen him.
"San Kamphaeng is the birthplace of Thaksin and I have made my mark in life because of San Kamphaeng support," he said to a crowd of cheering villagers during his visit to Chiang Mai, the hometown of his wife Yaowapa and her brother Thaksin.
He said he owed Thaksin a debt of gratitude for helping him get a head start in life and that he shared the home town's sentiment of having good thoughts about Thaksin.
The prime minister took the trip to pay respect to the Shinawatra ancestors and had a busy day attending several functions.
After an overnight stay at his Mae Rim home, he began the day around 7 am by welcoming well-wishers who congratulated him on his appointment as prime minister.
An hour later, he took questions from reporters. He said he was legally a resident of Chiang Mai as his official domicile is located in Mae Rim district.
Commenting on the opposition movement led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, he said he had assigned Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to negotiate with the PAD.
He said street protests had tarnished the country's reputation and that he would try to find a resolution that would save face for all parties concerned.
He said the country had no choice but to find a way out of the turmoil.
Today he will attend a high-level meeting at Parliament to try to map out how to put politics back on course, he said. Joining him at the meeting were House Speaker Chai Chidchob, Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondet and opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.
After his press conference, he visited Wat Doi Suthep to pay respects to the Buddhist sacred site and talk to the abbot.
At the temple grounds, he encountered a protesting woman who shook plastic clapping hands, a symbol of PAD-led protests. Security guards quickly escorted the woman from the scene.
At 10.20 am, he stopped his motorcade to pay respects to the statue of the late monk, Khru Ba Sri Wichai. He then proceeded to attend the ancestral ceremony at Wat Samakkhi Rong Tham. Afterwards he gave the rally speech for San Kamphaeng residents.
At noon, he went to pay respects at Wat Chedi Luang before attending a luncheon. About 10 PAD-led protesters congregated at the Chinese restaurant but did not cause a disturbance.
He flew out at 2.45pm to return to Bangkok.
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