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| Southeast Asia |
| Thai Prime Minister Stands Ground |
| 2010-04-26 |
| BANGKOK -- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that he continued to seek a peaceful solution to the country's tense political standoff but that he would not give in to what he called intimidation by antigovernment demonstrators. In a televised address with his military commander, Gen. Anupong Paochinda, sitting beside him, he rejected a call by the protesters known as the red shirts for a dissolution of Parliament within 30 days, saying, "The ultimatum is just aimed at getting the attention of the foreign media." In response, the red-shirt protesters said that they would hold their ground, deepening an impasse that has seen few public overtures toward a peaceful solution. The red shirts, many of them from poor rural areas outside the city, have occupied parts of Bangkok for more than six weeks. They have been calling on the government to step down immediately and hold a new election, a demand they softened Friday, saying that they would give Mr. Abhisit 30 days to make preparations. |
| Posted by:Steve White |