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Thai PM refuses to rule out emergency rule

Police fire tear gas as protests escalate

AFP, Bangkok
Embattled Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday refused to rule out invoking emergency rule as protests spread from his government office to the city's police headquarters.
Vowing not to give in to thousands of anti-government demonstrators calling for his resignation, Samak said he would "wait and see" what Saturday b rings.
"I will not quit. At this moment, I will not declare emergency rule, I will wait and see tomorrow," he told reporters
“I will not let the situation go on like this. I will deal with it," he added, but said he would postpone any further decision until after a royal function planned for Saturday.
"It's in my hands now but I choose not to (invoke emergency rule) if I have to cancel tomorrow's function," he said.
Samak said he remained confident he could restore law and order to the country, despite protests spreading Friday afternoon from Bangkok to the regions, forcing three airports to close.
Speaking directly to protesters
from the People's Alliance for Democracy, Samak asked angrily: "Who do you want as your next leader? Do you think that somebody will reward you or honour you?"
Earlier anti-government protests forced Thai authorities to close three airports on Friday, stranding travellers at popular tourist destinations in the south of the country.
Protesters invaded the runways at tourist-packed Phuket International Airport in solidarity with demonstrators currently besieging Bangkok's government compound, and rallies also hit Hat Yai and Krabi airports.
The blockade by up to 5,000 people on the southern resort island of Phuket prevented passengers from going in or out, said Airports of Thailand spokeswoman Monrudee Ketphand.
Thai police on Friday fired tear gas and scuffled with protesters who are demanding the premier step down, as escalating turmoil in the kingdom heaped pressure on the seven-month-old government.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej again insisted he was not going to give in to the protesters' demands, and vowed to keep his promise not to use violence to
end the unprecedented challenge to his administration.
Up to 25,000 protesters have barricaded themselves in the main government complex in the capital. accusing Samak of being a figurehead for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and insisting he must step down.
As protests spread across the country, shutting airports in the southern tourist hotspots and provoking minor clashes on the streets of Bangkok, Samak said he was still weighing up whether to invoke emergency law.
"I will not quit. At this moment, I will not declare emergency rule, I will wait and see tomorrow," he told reporters.
Skirmishes broke out throughout the day as police used shields and batons to deal with angry mobs, causing slight injuries to a handful of protesters.
A crowd of about 2,000 protesters left the besieged Government House compound and marched to the nearby police headquarters on Friday evening to demand the officers involved in the clashes be handed over, prompting police to fire tear gas, witnesses at the scene said.