Samak mulls referendum to end crisis

BANGKOK: Thailand plans to hold a national referendum to end the political crisis over street protests against the government, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said yesterday.

Samak said in a radio broadcast that he would urge the Senate to pass a pending referendum law quickly. He has been searching for a way to end the crisis that has paralyzed his government.

The anti-government group that has led the three-month protest against him in Bangkok immediately rejected the plan, signaling that political uncertainty would continue to beset the country.