Thailand's prime minister faced more criticism Tuesday with the lower house of parliament set to consider a no-confidence motion, but his government said it was confident he would keep his job.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was defiant during the opening round of a no-confidence censure brought by the opposition in the Senate on Monday after four weeks of street protests calling for the government to resign.
"Do not mess with someone like Samak!" the prime minister angrily told senators.
Demonstrators, led by activists of the People's Alliance for Democracy, continue to occupy he area around Government House, the seat of Thailand's government, since breaking through a police cordon on Friday.
They accuse Samak's five-month-old government of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, and accuse Thaksin of wanting to abolish Thailand's revered monarchy.
"The stability of government is still good. The coalition partners will not be swayed by the debate of the opposition. They will vote to retain Samak as prime minister," government deputy spokesman Natawut Saikau told The Associated Press.
Samak angrily denied a slew of allegations Monday, telling lawmakers that only an "insane prime minister" would step down in response to such accusations.
Samak and his cabinet are expected to again be attacked Tuesday on mishandling of an economy battered by high oil prices, his use of crude language and failing to protect national interests in the case of an ancient temple bordering Cambodia.
Opponents say that Samak bypassed Parliament when he endorsed Cambodia's application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the Preah Vihear temple, located on still disputed territory although it was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
Cambodia closed the temple to tourists Monday as Thais, singing patriotic songs, staged a protest near the site, Bangkok newspapers reported.
The Senate will not vote on the no-confidence measure. The more powerful lower house of Parliament debates the motion Tuesday against Samak and seven of his Cabinet ministers, ahead of a vote scheduled for Thursday.
Lawmakers "will expose the wrongdoing of this government to make the public aware that this government has lost legitimacy in running the country," senator Somchai Sawaengkan, one of 36 senators who grilled the government, told The Associated Press.
Samak's six-party government coalition, which is led by Samak's People's Power Party, controls about two-thirds of the 480 seats in the lower house of Parliament.
Samak's partners would have to desert him for any no-confidence motion in the lower house to succeed, but it was not certain which way the balloting would go. Even if Samak wins the vote, the debate - compounded by tensions in the streets - could pressure his backers to seek a replacement as prime minister.
Protesters say they will not be satisfied until Samak's entire government steps down.
"The People's Alliance for Democracy believes that the government's decision to allow a no-confidence motion in Parliament is a political game to lessen tension," said spokesman Suriyasai Katasila. "Once they win the votes, they will use that victory to legitimize their stay in power."
The People's Alliance for Democracy led mass demonstrations before the 2006 coup demanding Thaksin step down for alleged corruption and abuse of power. They now accuse Samak's government of interfering with corruption charges against Thaksin and trying to change the constitution for its own self-interest.
Rumors have swept Bangkok since the protests began that the country's powerful military would stage another coup, something the top brass has repeatedly denied.
Protesters allowed Samak to enter Government House for a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, with about 30 supporters greeting him with flowers at the rear gate of the compound.
"The mobs cannot scare him away from his office," Natawut said.(*)
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