Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul on February 26 proposed inviting the United Nations to help solve the current political crisis in the country.

Surapong, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said that he will present the suggestion to the Government’s Center for Maintaining Peace and Order.

He also revealed that the same day he had held phone talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss a way out of the crisis.

Also on February 26, the country’s Election Commission (EC) said that it will propose the Constitutional Court decide whether the EC or the caretaker government has the power to issue a new royal decree for election re-runs to take place in 28 constituencies in eight southern provinces, where the previous polls were disrupted by protestors and no candidates were able to stand.

The Nation newspaper quoted EC member Somchai Srisuthiyakorn as saying that a court ruling is needed because the government turned down the commission's earlier demand for a new decree.

The government, however, has insisted that it will not issue another decree as an earlier one by caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra last December is still in force.

Meanwhile, anti-government protesters gathered in front of the Royal Thai Police office, urging its chief Adul Saengsingkaew to appoint neutral police officers to investigate recent violent attacks at rally sites, which have caused the deaths and injuries of protesters.

Twenty-four people have been killed and more than 700 others wounded during the attacks since October 2013.-VNA