Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej insisted through the Radio of Thailand on Thursday morning that he will not resign although the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) pressed him by occupying the Government House.

"Who said I will resign? How could I resign? I cannot resign," Samak said.

Samak said he will stay in office to protect the country's democracy.

He said "the country needs a leader, and the world is watching us."

Earlier, some media reports said that Samak would step down to meet a demand from the 102-day street protest in Bangkok.

"I am so sorry to let all of you to be sad because I will not resign as you estimated," Samak said, "I have to protect the country's politics. I have to protect the monarch system."

The prime minister said that events would eventually become smooth "in order to protect democracy."

Meanwhile, Samak explained the foreign minister Tej Bunnag's resignation.

Samak said Tej resigned because of pressure from many sides, including his wife. "Tej sent me a letter, explaining that many sides pressed him to resign. He said even his wife could not tolerate him working with this government."

Samak thanked Tej for having helped the government work and said he had no conflicts with Tej. He said he would send flowers to Tej's wife as well.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2008)