'I will never resign,' says besieged Thai PM

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-30 19:32

BANGKOK - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said on Saturday he would not quit in the face of growing protests aimed at toppling his seven-month-old government.

Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is seen before boarding a plane to the Thai seaside town of Hua Hin at an air force base in Bangkok August 30, 2008. [Agencies]

Speaking at an official event, Samak said he had requested an audience with Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej later on Saturday to brief him on the political situation.

Samak said he had tried to reach a compromise with the thousands of protesters who have occupied the prime minister's official compound since Tuesday and vowed to stay until he quits.

"I will never resign in response to these threats," Samak said to cheers and clapping from the crowd attending a ceremony at a sports stadium to honor the king and queen's birthdays.

Samak said his six-party coalition government had been legally elected in December and he could not be removed by unconstitutional means.

"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," he said.

Samak said he would fly to the coastal town of Hua Hin to meet King Bhumibol at his palace there at 5 p.m. (6 a.m. EDT).

Samak flew there late on Friday but it was not clear if he had met the constitutional monarch, who is considered above politics in Thailand but has intervened in past crises.

Behind their makeshift barricades, thousands of protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) milled around the Government House compound, listening to fiery speeches and singing patriotic songs.

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 that he may impose a state of emergency, but army chief Anupong Paochinda told reporters he had rejected the idea.

The Bangkok Post reported that Anupong spoke privately to Samak after the meeting and "suggested the prime minister consider stepping down or dissolving the House of Representatives as possible options."

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