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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Thai leader rejects election call | Thai leader rejects election call |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has rejected calls by the country's military chief to stand down. | Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has rejected calls by the country's military chief to stand down. |
| Army leader Gen Anupong Paochinda had asked him to call snap elections to end months of political deadlock. | Army leader Gen Anupong Paochinda had asked him to call snap elections to end months of political deadlock. |
| But Mr Somchai said his government was legitimate and that he would continue to work for the country. | But Mr Somchai said his government was legitimate and that he would continue to work for the country. |
| The call came after anti-government protesters occupied Bangkok's main airport and forced its closure, a move the Mr Somchai called illegal. | |
| "I reassure the people that this government, which is legitimate and came from elections, will keep functioning until the end," Mr Somchai said in a televised address. | |
| "My position is not important. But democratic values are," he said, speaking from the northern city of Chiang Mai. | |
| He returned from a foreign trip earlier in the day but was unable to land in Bangkok because of the airport blockade. | |
| 'No coup' | |
| A Thai court has ordered the protesters - who belong to the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) - to leave Suvarnabhumi airport. POLITICAL TURMOIL September 2006: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ousted in military coupFebruary 2008: Samak Sundaravej sworn in as prime ministerSeptember 2008: Protesters call for Mr Samak's resignation, saying he is a proxy for Thaksin9 September 2008: Mr Samak dismissed for violating conflict of interest law. Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, becomes prime minister. October 2008: Thaksin given a two-year jail sentence for corruption in his absence Chaos at seized airportQ&A: Bangkok protests | |
| But the protesters say they will stay until the government resigns, and have brought in food and blankets. | |
| All flights have been cancelled and thousands of Thais and foreign tourists are stranded in the Thai capital. | |
| Thailand has been in a state of political stalemate since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in 2006. | Thailand has been in a state of political stalemate since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in 2006. |
| Fresh elections at the end of 2007 failed to resolve the crisis, when a party made up of former allies of Mr Thaksin returned to power. | Fresh elections at the end of 2007 failed to resolve the crisis, when a party made up of former allies of Mr Thaksin returned to power. |
| Gen Anupong's call for polls earlier in the day heightened speculation that a military coup could be imminent. | |
| But the army chief denied that was his plan, saying the government still had "full authority". | |
| Are you in Bangkok? Have you been affected by the anti-government protests? You can send us your experiences using the form below: | |