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BANGKOK - Thailand's ruling six-party coalition agreed Friday to hold an urgent weekend debate to discuss the ongoing crisis caused by thousands of anti-government protesters.
Prime Minister's Samak Sundaravej's People Power Party met with its partners Friday evening after demonstrators spent a fourth day demanding the premier's resignation and broadened protests beyond a camp outside Government House.
The leader of the PPP's largest coalition partner, Chart Thai Party, said he hoped the debate, to be held on Sunday, would resolve the tension on the streets.
"Both the prime minister and the House speaker have agreed that this is the best solution to solve the current situation," Banharn Silpa-Archa told reporters after the meeting.
"Opening a general debate will enable everybody to express their opinion."
But asked if he believed the debate would put an end to protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), Banharn said: "I don't know, it's up to PAD."
Banharn insisted however that the coalition's meeting was not meant to question Samak's authority.
"This evening's meeting did not aim to put pressure on the prime minister," he said.
Demonstrations have been held at the Government House compound since Tuesday after PAD members stormed a state-run television station and marched on various government buildings.
The situation escalated on Friday, with protests spreading to the police headquarters in Bangkok and across the country, forcing three regional airports to close.
- AFP /ls
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