Thai PM turns to parliament to defuse protests

Samak is still looking for a peaceful way out of the crisis that began Tuesday when thousands of anti-government protesters rampaged through Bangkok’s historic district and invaded his offices, demanding his immediate resignation.

After police briefly clashed with rowdy demonstrators last week and protests spread outside the capital, the premier called the emergency parliament session, but he has so far ruled out declaring a state of emergency.

"We cannot let the situation in the country go on like this," Samak said in his regular Sunday television address.

"It must be over, but I will not do anything that will create a bad atmosphere. The announcement of an emergency decree would create a bad atmosphere in the country and to the world."

Samak said that so far protesters had not paid any attention to government pleas or court injunctions ordering them to leave the Government House compound and seeking the arrest of nine protest leaders.

"Let’s see what parliament can do," he told the nation.

Lawmakers will make suggestions about how to resolve the crisis although there will be no voting.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) objects to Samak’s plans to amend the constitution and his close ties with ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who they helped unseat with protests in early 2006 ahead of a coup later that year.

Samak’s coalition took power in February after securing nearly two-thirds of parliaments 480 seats in elections last December, and the premier has accused the PAD of trying to spark another putsch.

"What they are trying to do now is overthrow the government," Samak said. "They seized government offices, airports. Is this democracy, or is this the people’s alliance to destroy democracy?"

Sunday's extraordinary parliament session opened with opposition Democrat Party MPs questioning Samak, as about 1,000 pro-government demonstrators gathered outside under the close watch of police.

"We are worried that the PAD will come here so we are here to protect the people," Police Colonel Somchai Choeyklin told AFP.

Brief clashes between police and protesters on Friday raised tensions in the coup-prone kingdom, but the atmosphere around the besieged government compound has since cooled.

On Sunday morning numbers had dwindled, although ambulances remained on standby outside.

Police officials told AFP that between 14,000 and 17,000 people remained on the grounds of Government House, where they have barricaded themselves in with coils of barbed wire, bamboo poles and piles of tires.

Samak late Saturday flew down to the king’s residence in the beach resort town of Hua Hin. Samak has not revealed details of the discussion, but said his stance had not changed.

"I told you before that I will not resign -- I will stay on to run this country," he said.

Despite the demonstrators regularly invoking the king, both in speeches and with royalist imagery, he has remained silent in the current standoff.

Protests spread outside Bangkok for the first time on Friday, with blockades shutting Phuket, Hat Yai and Krabi airports, and a railway workers strike halting a quarter of all services.

Phuket airport -- the second busiest in Thailand -- reopened on Sunday, while Hat Yai reopened on Saturday. A railway official, meanwhile, said services were still disrupted across the country.

Chamlong Srimuang, 73, a retired army general and one of five PAD leaders, said the alliance would wait and see what happened in parliament before planning its next move.