Thai authorities on Saturday braced for a showdown with protesters who have vowed to make a final push to oust the Government on Monday, even as beleaguered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra announced she will not cling to power and is open to new elections.
Officials said hundreds of policemen will be deployed to protect key State buildings on December 9, which protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has declared as the “D-Day” to seize power from the premier. Prime Minister Yingluck on Saturday said she is open to new elections. “We don’t have any resistance about resigning or dissolving Parliament,” she said in an interview with foreign journalists.
She also said she sees no quick end to the political impasse and is willing to negotiate with protesters to end the crisis. “Our door is still open,” Yingluck said. Suthep said the premier’s resignation would not be enough to end the crisis. He also rejected any new election, saying the opposition would likely be soundly defeated.