Thai PM shuns calls for House dissolution

BANGKOK, Aug 31 (TNA) - Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej
rejected calls from opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva who urged him to dissolve the House of Representatives to save Thailand's democracy.

The premier stood firm that he won't resign nor dissolve the House,
reiterating that he had to preserve democratic rule and would not resign under pressure.

During Sunday's special joint session of the House of Representatives and
the Senate in bid to defuse the political crisis, Democrat Party MPs urged
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign, charging the anti-government
protests had been prompted by the premier himself, that he had pushed for
constitutional amendments and that he had used the state media to attack
his political adversaries.

Jurin Laksanavisit of the Democrat Party criticised the premier for
allegedly triggering the anti-government protests which culminated in the
seizure of Government House by demonstrators led by the People's Alliance
for Democracy (PAD) after, the Democrat MP alleged, Mr. Samak had pushed
for constitution amendment bids only to do undue favours to his
predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra and used state-run NBT television channel
only to attack his political opponents.

Mr. Jurin called on Mr. Samak to consider resigning as pressed by the
anti-government protests after he had apparently failed to keep varied
state enterprises operating at the services of the people such as the
State Railways of Thailand (SRT), the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority
(BMTA) and Thai Airways International while more state firms would likely
follow suit.

The prime minister categorically dismissed the Democrat charges and
contended that he had done nothing wrong to deserve being chased from
politics by the PAD demonstrators and assured he had instructed the police
not to use force to disperse those who have taken over Government House.
Nor did the police use tear gas in a bid to disperse the protesters at the
headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Friday, the premier said.

Mr. Samak commented that the Democrats had taken sides with the PAD which
had mobilised people to rise up against the government and illegally
seized government premises.

Meanwhile, the PAD which led the anti-government protests, said Sunday's
joint meeting between MPs and senators to defuse the political crisis was
merely a waste of time.

Suriyasai Katasila, the PAD coordinator, said the anti-government
demonstrators who have seized Government House for almost a week were not
listening to the lawmakers' debate as they found it to be useless and
unable to defuse the political crisis.

The joint parliamentary session was merely designed to ''launder the
wrongdoings'' of tne prime minister, he said.

Mr. Suriyasai said the PAD might initiate another round of offensives
against the Samak government in the next few days and torch an effigy of
the premier.

He said the military might not follow orders from the premier even if he
decided to impose emergency rule to quell the anti-government protests.

The PAD activist added that the naming of Pol. Lt-Gen. Jongrak Juthanond
as acting Metropolitan Police commissioner in place of Pol. Lt-Gen. Asawin
Khwanmuang might spark some violence against the protesters.

Meanwhile, pro-government groups gathering at parliament had dispersed and
then marched peacefully to converge at Sanam Luang.

In other developments, union members of the Electricity Generating
Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority
vowed to take one-day sick leave Monday and threatened to cut water
supplies and electricity to all police stations nationwide. (TNA)