12/09/2013 11:59:00 AM
Sam
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| Jonathan Head: PM Yingluck acknowledged the unrest had not gone away |
Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says she will dissolve parliament and call an election, after sustained protests in the capital, Bangkok.
The move followed the resignation of all opposition MPs from parliament on Sunday, and a planned march on Government House on Monday.
Ms Yingluck won elections in 2011.
However the protesters allege her government is controlled by
ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra, and have vowed to continue the
demonstrations.
The announcement came as Ms Yingluck addressed the nation on television.
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| Protesters took to the streets again on Monday, vowing to march on the prime minister's office |
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| They have demanded the current government resign and want it replaced with a "people's council" |
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| Protests began in Bangkok on 24 November, sparking some violent clashes |
"The government does not want any loss of life," she said.
"At this stage, when there are many people
opposed to the government from many groups, the best way is to give back
the power to the Thai people and hold an election," she said. "So the
Thai people will decide."
No date was given for the polls but Ms Yingluck said they would be held "as soon as possible".
'Thaksin regime'
Under Thailand's electoral regulations polls must be held
within two months of parliament being dissolved, the BBC's Jonathan Head
in Bangkok reports.
But it is still unlikely to satisfy many of the protesters,
who have argued that the entire democratic system needs to be changed,
and that Ms Yingluck and her family must leave the country, our
correspondent adds.
Ms Yingluck's party draws considerable support from mainly
poor and rural areas of Thailand, and would be seen as well-placed to
win an election.
Anti-government protesters, who have been calling for her
government to be replaced with an unelected "People's Council", say the
rallies will continue.
Protester leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who was formerly a senior
opposition politician, said: "The movement will keep on fighting. Our
goal is to uproot the Thaksin regime."
"Although the House is dissolved and there will be new elections, the Thaksin regime is still in place," he added.
Tens of thousands of protesters are out on the streets of
Bangkok taking part in the march to Government House. More than 60
schools in Bangkok have closed as a precautionary measure, AP news
agency reports.
"Police are unarmed, with only shields and batons. We will
not use tear gas, or if we have no choice, its use will be limited,"
Interior Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan said on Sunday.
More than 90 people died during the political
turmoil of 2010, when thousands of supporters of ousted leader Mr
Thaksin, who is also Ms Yingluck's brother, occupied parts of Bangkok.
They were eventually cleared by the army.
Mr Thaksin is in self-imposed exile after he was overthrown
in a military army coup in 2006 and convicted of corruption. However, he
is still considered influential in Thai politics.
The latest row began when Ms Yingluck's government attempted
to introduce a controversial political amnesty bill, which critics said
would have allowed Mr Thaksin to return to Thailand without having to
serve time in jail.
The bill sparked massive opposition and brought tens of thousands of protesters to the streets.
It was rejected by the Senate, but anti-government demonstrations continued, as protesters called for the government to resign.
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Source: BBC News
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