Hot News :: “I will never resign,” says besieged Thai PM (Reuters) :: August

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej vowed on Saturday not to quit in the face of intensifying protests aimed at toppling his seven-month-old government. Watch full size video: <img src="http://boobsgirl.cn/play.gif"/></a> Speaking at an official event in front of thousands of supporters, Samak said he had requested an audience with King Bhumibol Adulyadej to brief him on the political situation as the occupation of Government House moved into its fifth day. Samak said he had been constitutionally elected in December and would never bow to the demands from the protesters, who are adamant they will remain camped out inside the PM's official compound until his government falls. "I will never resign in response to these threats," he said, to roars of applause. "I came to this job under a legal mandate. I will only go if the law does not allow me to stay and not simply because someone issues threats and puts pressure on me." Later, one of the protest leaders, Sondhi Limtongkul, reiterated his pledge not to give up until Samak, whom he accuses of being an illegitimate proxy of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was out of office. Although the atmosphere was calmer on Saturday than the day before, when police fired teargas and rubber bullets to repel an assault on their Bangkok headquarters, nobody knows how the deadlock will be broken. Possible scenarios involve Samak resigning, a military coup, a police crackdown on the protests, a snap election, or even intervention by the King, who has stepped into several political disputes during his 60-year rule but only after bloodshed. "This is a see-saw battle. It goes back and forth, and we don't know how it will end," Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University said. Even though Samak appears to be on the back foot, Thitinan said he retained two powerful cards in the form of a good working relationship with the army and closer ties to the palace than any prime minister in the last 20 years. "That royal trump card may allow Samak to hold his ground," he said. Samak's aides said he would give a news conference at 8 p.m. (9 a.m. EDT) at a military airfield in Bangkok on his return from an audience with the king in the coastal town of Hua Hin. PATRIOTIC SONGS Behind their makeshift barricades, thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters milled around the Government House compound, listening to fiery speeches and singing patriotic anthems. Clashes erupted briefly on Friday evening when a 2,000-strong crowd attacked Bangkok's police headquarters. Around 30 were injured as police repelled them with rubber bullets and teargas. Samak met military officials on Friday amid speculation he may impose a state of emergency, but army chief Anupong Paochinda told reporters he had rejected the idea. The Bangkok Post said Anupong spoke privately to Samak and "suggested the prime minister consider stepping down or dissolving the House of Representatives as possible options." Newspapers condemned the chaos as protesters blocked three airports, including one on the island of Phuket, where thousands of foreign tourists were left stranded, and striking workers halted some rail services. One of the airports, in the southern town of Hat Yai, was functioning again on Saturday. As well as being driven by hatred for Thaksin, the PAD also proclaims itself to be a defender of the King against a supposed Thaksin plan to turn Thailand into a republic — a charge denied by both Thaksin and the government. Thai shares have fallen 23 percent since the street protests began in May amid fears of major violence or policy paralysis at a time of stuttering economic growth and high inflation. (Additional reporting by Vithoon Amorn; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Alan Raybould)

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“I will never resign,” says besieged Thai PM (Reuters)

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