Thai government to lift Bangkok emergency

?Thai protesters to scale back Bangkok gatherings

BANGKOK -- Thai acting Premier Yingluck Shinawatra said on Tuesday that her caretaker government will stick to democratic rule despite sustained anti-government protests.

Addressing a general caucus of the Pheu Thai (for Thais) Party, core of the coalition government, Yingluck said the caretaker government will not give in to the street protests but will continue to run the country until a post-election government has been set up.

She made comments in response to the protesters' persistent calls for the making of a non-elected prime minister following the Constitutional Court's recent ruling of the Feb. 2 election as null and void.

The Election Commission will organize a new election in a 60- day time in accordance with the constitution and electoral law.

"I'm not going to keep premiership to myself longer than legally obliged under the constitution.

"We'll adhere to democratic rule. We've traveled on a path from which we may have diverged for a while but we'll finally return to the path toward democracy," she said.

She thanked the rank and file of the Pheu Thai Party for fighting against undemocratic moves with patience and refrained from violence in coping with the street protesters.

The naming of any non-elected premier was considered undemocratic with respect to the constitution which only calls for the picking of a premier from among elected lawmakers following the nationwide race to parliament, she said.

Ex-Red Shirt leader/Pheu Thai Party member Nattavut Saikua earlier mentioned some names of those who had been allegedly tipped to become a non-elected premier, including Privy Councilor Palakorn Suwannarat, former Premier Anand Panyarachun, former Deputy Premier M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula and former Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai.