Thai judges dash hopes of quick end to crisis

BANGKOK, Apr 28 (Reuters) Thailand's top judges dashed hopes of an immediate decision on how to end the country's deep political crisis today after revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej told them to find a solution.

The chief judges of the three main courts decided in an unexpectedly brief meeting all they could do was to rule swiftly on cases involving the inconclusive snap April 2 general election which plunged the country into turmoil, a spokesman said.

''We will expedite our rulings to solve the crisis in a timely manner,'' Supreme Court spokesman Jaran Pakdeethanakul told a news conference.

The king's intervention and his denunciation of an election which left all but a few seats in the hands of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra's Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party as undemocratic had fostered expectations the judges would annul it.

But the judges agreed they could act only on cases brought before them and aimed to deliver rulings ''within the time frame'', Jaran said, referring apparently to the May 2 constitutional deadline for the new parliament to meet.

There are cases pending before the judges of the supreme, administrative and constitutional courts, but Jaran gave no indication of when they would be heard.

The main cases ask the Administrative Court, which rules on the legality of government actions, to declare illegal an election boycotted by the three main opposition parties.

There was no word when it might deliver a judgment, so opposition parties asked for an immediate injunction to halt by-elections in 14 seats left unfilled and scheduled for Saturday.

If the court granted an injunction, that would mean those seats could not be filled by May 2 and parliament could not convene because the constitution says it must be complete before it can do so.

But it also says parliament must meet within 30 days of an election, hence the May 2 deadline.

STILL HOPE Thaksin called the election little more than a year after winning a second landslide hoping it would end a street campaign to oust him by foes accusing him of corruption and abuse of power charges he denied.

Instead, Thai Rak Thai won fewer votes than in the previous election in February last and a substantial number of people voted to abstain, effectively a vote against Thaksin, who remains prime minister officially.

However, Thaksin handed over day-to-day power to a deputy and said he would not be a candidate for the job when parliament does meet.

That did not satisfy the opposition, which said any successor would be controlled by Thaksin and insisted on political reforms before they would run in elections.

Still, the king's direct intervention his first since stepping in to end a bloody confrontation between ''people power'' protesters and a military government in 1992 -- brought hope a solution will be found.

It obliged the three main opposition parties to drop their insistence on political reforms before they contest elections.

The three parties said they would take part in a fresh general election if the judges nullified the April 2 poll. Thai Rak Thai also said it would accept such a solution.

REUTERS SY VV 1254