BANGKOK (REUTERS) - Thailand's central bank governor said he was ready to ease monetary policy if the economy was really slowing but he wanted to see further details about the weakness in private consumption suggested in first-quarter data.

"If domestic demand was really weak, monetary policy can address that," Bank of Thailand Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul told a briefing on Tuesday.

Speculation about a policy rate cut increased after data on Monday showed the economy contracted by a seasonally adjusted 2.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2013 from the final quarter of 2012.