Thailand’s embattled prime minister has indicated he may resign
Thailand’s embattled prime minister has indicated he may resign in the wake of fierce anti-government protests earlier this week that left two people dead and hundreds injured.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has held the job for little more than three weeks.
He told reporters on Saturday he’s considering his position as protesters prepared for another mass rally.
He says he must consider what’s best in both the short and long term, such as dissolving the House or resignation.
Mr Somchai was put under extra pressure on Friday when the Thai military chief told the government to solve the political crisis.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy, an anti-government group leading months of protests, claim the current government is running the country on behalf of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a September 2006 coup following similar protests.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
One Response to “Thailand’s embattled prime minister has indicated he may resign”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Thailand’s embattled prime minister dismissed calls for his resignation, saying stepping down would not resolve the country’s deepening political crisis.
“Many groups in society are calling for me to resign or dissolve the parliament,” Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said on Sunday in a nationally televised address.
“I am not attached to my position,” he said. “However, I am not confident that is the right solution.”
Anti-government protesters have demanded that Somchai resign to take responsibility for violent clashes on Tuesday between protesters and riot police that killed three people and wounded nearly 500 protesters. It was the worst political violence in Thailand in over a decade.
The clashes turned violent after police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who were trying to block parliament to keep Somchai from delivering his first policy statement to lawmakers. Somchai was sworn in on September 25.
Protesters have accused riot police of using excessive force and say they will stage a large demonstration later in the week outside Bangkok’s police headquarters. The rally was initially planned for Monday but would be postponed to pay respect for two victims whose remains were to be cremated that day, protest organisers said.
“I have to express my regret about what happened,” Somchai said, referring to the violence and issuing a renewed plea for reconciliation.
Somchai said he had ordered a fact-finding committee to investigate what happened and another committee would be set up to determine compensation for families of victims.
The anti-government protesters, led by a group that calls itself the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), has occupied the grounds of the prime minister’s office since August 26.
The protests have virtually paralysed the government and forced Somchai to operate out of a makeshift office at Bangkok’s old international airport.
The protesters regard Somchai as a proxy of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a former telecommunications billionaire who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and misuse of power. Somchai is a brother-in-law of Thaksin’s.
The mostly middle-class protesters who back the alliance say they will continue protests if any party associated with Thaksin returns to power.