Thai PM rules out resigning as bombs, gunfire punctuate unrest

Tuesday, 25 February 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the target of anti-government protests in Bangkok, has been staying outside the city and on Monday ruled out resigning despite a series of deadly attacks heaping pressure on her administration. Yingluck, who attended a trade show in Saraburi province, 100 km (60 miles) north of Bangkok, called for dialogue to resolve a crisis that has dragged on for months, with key intersections in the capital blocked by protest camps.

“It’s time all sides turned to talk to each other,” Yingluck told reporters. “Many people have asked me to resign but I ask: is resignation the answer? What if it creates a power vacuum?” The protests have been punctuated by gunfire and bomb blasts, including one on Sunday that killed a woman and a young brother and sister. They are aimed at unseating Yingluck and erasing the influence of her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is seen by many as the power behind the government. Yingluck’s office would not confirm how many days Yingluck had been working outside the capital. She was last seen in public in Bangkok nearly a week ago, last Tuesday, when both anti-government protesters and farmers angry about not being paid under a rice subsidy scheme were trailing her and some of her ministers. She is due to attend a corruption hearing in Bangkok on Thursday. Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said Yingluck would hold a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.