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Thai Prime Minister Samak will not quit, but protest to drag on
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej will not resign, a spokesman said on Saturday as thousands of protesters besieged his office, vowing to stay until they forced the government from power.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:14 June 22, 2008
Bangkok: Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej will not resign, a spokesman said on Saturday as thousands of protesters besieged his office, vowing to stay until they forced the government from power.
"It's impossible that Prime Minister Samak will resign," said Kuthep Saikrajang, spokesman for the People Power Party (PPP) that leads a six-party coalition whose election in December was hoped to restore political stability two years after a coup.
"The standpoint of our party is that the government will not resign and there will be no house dissolution," Kuthep said, responding to a newspaper report that the country's army chief had urged Samak to dissolve parliament to end the protests.
Asked how he planned to deal with the demonstrators, Samak, who met some of the 19 police officers injured in Friday's scuffles with the marchers, told reporters to wait for his weekly radio and television address on Sunday.
Military leaders have repeatedly said they do not want get involved, perhaps mindful of past unrest.
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