Anti-government demonstrators listening to a live radio speech by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of Thailand, who vowed not to resign.(David Longstreath/The Associate Press)By Seth Mydan Published: September 4, 2008
BANGKOK: Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Thursday that he would hold a nationwide referendum in the hope of ending a protest calling for his removal that has blocked his office for the past 10 days.
He said the specific questions of the referendum had not been determined. Critics said the move was a delaying tactic as the government struggled to find a way out of the impasse.
With thousands of demonstrators blocking the entrance to his office, Samak has had to find other locations to conduct government business, including a cabinet meeting Thursday during which the referendum was agreed upon.
Late Thursday night, gunmen opened fire at a group of about 200 university students who were marching to the prime minister's residence to demand his resignation, a Thai news Web site reported. Two of the students were reported wounded.
Samak said the vote would gauge public support for his government and for the demonstrators. But he said a special law would first have to be passed in the Senate to allow the referendum to"While waiting for the results of the referendum, the protesters can demonstrate," he said, speaking on a radio program. "I can wait."
Addressing the nation earlier in the day, Samak acknowledged the humiliation of being barred from his office.
"Am I ashamed that my office has been taken over?" he said. "I have to say, yes, I'm ashamed. It is not convenient to work outside, but I can do it."
The remarks came in an hourlong broadcast in which he denied rumors that he would step down. The Thursday edition of The Nation newspaper carried a headline ahead of his address that read: "Samak on Brink of Exit."
He responded with bitter humor, saying, "I have to apologize to the disappointed people who were waiting for me to announce my resignation today."
He said a relatively small group of demonstrators was attempting to overturn the will of the majority, who voted his party into office last December.
"I have to stay in order to preserve democracy and to protect the monarchy," he said, adding, "I have done nothing wrong."
Responding to Samak's address, one of the protest leaders, Sondhi Limthongkul, told the crowd that the prime minister was "lying again" and that he wanted to throw up, according to a Thai news agency.
With the nation divided and his government under pressure, Samak confirmed that Foreign Minister Tej Bunnat had resigned after just seven weeks in office. He said Tej had acted under pressure from "high-ranking people" who oppose his government.
Thailand faces a deadline of sorts for restoring order in the streets and in the government. It has just taken over the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the leaders of its 10 member-nations are to meet here in December.
The protests, which began in May and escalated last week with the takeover of Samak's office, have been organized by the People's Alliance for Democracy, a coalition of various groups that seek his ouster.
At its core is a royalist establishment that has been at odds with supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They say he was trying to monopolize power and was using his position to increase his wealth.
Demonstrations by the alliance weakened Thaksin before he was ousted in a coup in September 2006. The alliance accuses Samak of being a proxy for Thaksin and is seeking to remove him as well.
Thaksin is seeking political asylum in Britain after fleeing corruption charges in Thailand. The demonstrators say Samak's government plans to allow Thaksin to return and evade conviction in court.
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