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BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Tuesday returned to
his office for the first time since thousands of protesters
surrounded the compound four days ago to demand his resignation.
The protesters from the so-called People’s
Alliance for Democracy have set up camp outside Government House
since Friday, when they pushed past police barricades to rally in
the surrounding streets.
Some 2,100 metropolitan police remained deployed
around the compound as Samak arrived for a Cabinet meeting early
Tuesday.
Dozens of monks from two of Thailand’s main
Buddhist sects came to greet him and offer blessings ahead of a
censure debate in parliament set for the afternoon.
Samak expressed his thanks to the monks, but
declined to answer questions from reporters as he entered his
office.
In a statement, the monks urged the protesters
to respect the results of the December election that brought Samak
to power.
“This government has won a majority in the
election, and has only run the country for four months,” the
statement said.
-- AFP
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