Thailand's finance minister said Friday that early elections are a possibility, but the government isn't bound by its offer to hold them by November because antigovernment protesters never accepted the deal.
Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij also said turmoil surrounding the protests that shut down central Bangkok for six weeks has dealt a "disastrous" blow to the vital tourism industry and may cut up to half a percentage point from Thailand's economic growth.
Korn said several conditions need to be met before elections could be held, including ensuring they would be "free and fair."