Aug 28, 2008, 5:52 GMT
Bangkok - Thailand's prime minister Thursday said police would not use force to remove anti-government protesters holed up in a government compound for two days.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told local media that a meeting at Government House planned for Saturday would be moved to another location if the protesters still occupied the compound, signaling they would wait for them to tire and leave and not force them out.
Police Thursday offered the protesters free rides home if they leave the government grounds. Deputy police spokesman Major General Surapol Thuanthong said more than 100 buses and vans were standing by to transport them.
Thailand's criminal court has ordered the protesters to disperse from the compound around Government House and issued arrest warrants for nine leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) spearheading the demonstrations aimed at toppling the current administration.
The court issued the nine warrants Wednesday for 'attempted rebellion' and lesser charges and said they would serve them Thursday.
But Samak Thursday said police would not break through the crowd of supporters to arrest the PAD leaders and instead would give them a chance to surrender to authorities.
Chamlong Srimuang, a PAD leader and retired army general, Thursday called it a victory they held onto Government House through a tense Wednesday night of worry police would raid the compound.
Chamlomg said the anti-government protest group took over several state buildings Tuesday to try to force the administration to resign.
Tens of thousands of PAD supporters seized several government buildings early Tuesday and held them most of the day until they converged near the prime minister's compound Tuesday evening where an estimated 10,000 remained Thursday.
Chamlong said earlier that he and his colleagues would not resist arrest if police have warrants and added PAD leaders would not allow supporters to block police from arresting them although he encouraged those protesters to continue to demonstrate.
He said the protestors want to block the government from amending the 2007 constitution and to pressure the administration to resign.
Earlier Samak said his government would not be forced from power because it had been legally elected.
Two years ago PAD organized months of protests against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was eventually ousted in a bloodless military coup in September 2006.
The PAD charged Thaksin of massive corruption, dividing the nation and undermining democracy and the monarchy.
The PAD is now trying to bring down the government of Samak, a political ally of Thaksin who openly campaigned as a proxy for him.
The PAD has been calling for Samak's resignation since May after the cabinet approved a motion to amend the 2007 constitution.
Protest leaders charged the amendments are aimed at clearing Thaksin of corruption charges and paving the way for his return to power.
Thaksin, a former policeman turned billionaire businessman, was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, winning a huge following among Thailand's rural poor.
But the populist politician drew the opposition of the political elite when his growing power led to perceived abuses for personal gain.
After spending 17 months in exile in the post-coup period, Thaksin returned to Thailand in February but fled again this month after his wife was convicted of tax evasion charges. She skipped bail, and the couple is now seeking asylum in Britain.
With Thaksin now seeking asylum overseas, the PAD has lost one of its biggest drawing points, and some analysts said they think the protests' days are numbered.
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