BANGKOK, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra:

I stand with my countrymen in this terrible hour in our history. The pictures that I have seen go beyond any nightmares that could have been envisaged. I have no choice but to state resolutely the need for all sides to step back from this terrible abyss and seek to begin a new, genuine and sincere dialogue between the parties.

The present action of the government dishonour our history and will forever weaken our institutions and democracy. How can life be revered when the government uses its live bullets against innocent non-violent protesters and civilians, many of them women and children.

I call for the United Nations to immediately engage to act as facilitator for this negotiation. That organization should not allow itself to be silenced by a prime minister who failed to understand that a right to life is a core universal value that unites us all as one.

SOURCE Amsterdam & Peroff