Thai Prime Minister
Samak Sundaravej on Sunday vowed to stay on in his post despite having lost
Government House - the seat of his administration - to protesters for the past
six days, dpa
reported.
"I came to power in accordance with the
law," said Samak, addressing his weekly "Talking Samak Style"
television program. "I have done nothing wrong."
The prime minister has approved a special joint session
of the Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament Sunday to find means of defusing
Thailand's latest political crisis in which the government has seen their
offices seized by thousands of demonstrators from the People's Alliance for
Democracy (PAD), a loose coalition of conservative groups who are calling for
Samak's resignation and the dissolution of parliament.
Samak, who heads the People Power Party (PPP), received a
political boost Saturday night when his coalition partners confirmed their
support for the besieged premier at a press conference.
The 73-year-old veteran politician was also granted an
audience with Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej Saturday evening at the monarch's
palace at Hua Hin beach resort, 150 kilometres south-west of Bangkok. Samak appeared self-confident after the royal audience.
"Fear can cause damage, but I am not afraid," said
Samak in his weekly talk to the nation.
He blasted the PAD for breaking the law in seizing Government
House on Tuesday, and trying to create a "spark" to bring down the
government.
The PAD's campaign to bring down the Samak government gained
momentum on Friday when police tried to forcefully remove the protestors from
Government House.
The show of police force prompted PAD followers to raid and
shut down three popular airports in Phuket, Hat Yai and Krabi, all in southern
Thailand. Phuket and Krabi airports were still closed to traffic Sunday,
leaving scores of foreign tourists stranded.
The labour union of the State Railways of Thailand also shut
down several routes nationwide in a show of support for the PAD.
The police were forced to retreat, leaving the PAD in control
of Thailand's seat of government over the weekend.
On Friday, Samak, who is also defence minister, reportedly
wanted to declare a state of emergency to deal with the PAD protest but the
proposal was rejected by Army chief General Anupong Paojinda.
Political analysts say Samak faces a dilemma in dealing with
the PAD, which is openly pro-monarchist, because the military will not use
force in disbanding the demonstration.
The PAD is a political movement that was launched as a
spearhead to topple former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who was eventually ousted
by a military coup on September 19, 2006.
Its leaders advocate a return to Thailand's old-style
democracy, favouring a lead role of the bureaucracy, the military and appointed
office holders over elected members of parliament.
It is deemed a conservative reaction to the populist policies
of Thaksin and the Samak's PPP, that have proved successful in winning
elections by gaining the support of Thailand's urban and rural poor.
The movement has won the support of many middle-class Thais
who are fed up with the corruption and abuses of power that are part and parcel
of elected governments in Thailand.
The Samak-PAD showdown is seen by some analysts as a crucial
test for Thailand's democratic system, which can be characterized as a see-saw
between elected governments and governments headed or appointed by the military.
"If the PAD succeeds in ousting Samak, it will be a huge
setback for Thai democracy," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the
Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn
University. "It will be the crowning success for the
right-wing conservative contingent who are against election- based
democracy."
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