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Thailand's prime minister survives vote of no confidence Thailand's prime minister survives vote of no confidence
(about 2 hours later)
Thailand's embattled prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has breezed through a no-confidence vote in parliament where her party holds a commanding majority but still faces mounting pressure from widening anti-government protests.

The vote is unlikely to defuse tensions or end the biggest anti-government protests since deadly political unrest three years ago. Shinawatra's opponents have managed to shut down government offices in days of demonstrations.

"I will not dissolve the house," a defiant Yingluck told reporters before the vote. "It is clear the protesters are not looking for house dissolution so, starting today, let us find a way out this together."

Yingluck needed more than half, or 246 votes, out of the 492 votes in the lower house to prevail. She won 297, with 134 votes against her.
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/>Her Puea Thai party and coalition partners dominate the lower house with 299 seats and comfortably survived the three-day debate during which the opposition grilled Yingluck on a 3.5 billion baht (£66m/US$108m) water management scheme and financially troubled government rice intervention scheme.
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/>The protests' leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, has ruled out talks with the government or other parties. "No more negotiations," he told cheering crowds after thousands massed outside four Thai government ministries, a major state office complex and 31 provincial halls.
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/>Waving multi-coloured flags, tooting on whistles and backing up traffic, the protesters have occupied the finance ministry since Monday but have failed to force their way into other ministries. Instead they gather at the gates, prompting evacuations.
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/>Responding to the crisis, Thailand's central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates by a quarter point at its policy setting meeting on Wednesday.
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/>The demonstrators, a motley collection aligned with Bangkok's royalist civilian and military elite, accuse Yingluck of being an illegitimate proxy for her billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister and populist hero of the rural poor who was ousted in a 2006 military coup.
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/>Most of the 31 provinces where demonstrators have massed are in the south, a traditional stronghold of the opposition Democrat party, although four were in the north and north-east, where the Shinawatra family is hugely popular.
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/>The aim of the rallies was to wipe out the "political machine of Thaksin", said Suthep, a former deputy prime minister under the military-backed government that was routed by Yingluck in a 2011 election. 		Thailand's embattled prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has breezed through a no-confidence vote in parliament where her party holds a commanding majority but still faces mounting pressure from widening anti-government protests.

The vote is unlikely to defuse tensions or end the biggest anti-government protests since deadly political unrest three years ago. Shinawatra's opponents have managed to shut down government offices in days of demonstrations.

"I will not dissolve the house," a defiant Yingluck told reporters before the vote. "It is clear the protesters are not looking for house dissolution so, starting today, let us find a way out this together."

Yingluck needed more than half, or 246 votes, out of the 492 votes in the lower house to prevail. She won 297, with 134 votes against her.
Her Puea Thai party and coalition partners dominate the lower house with 299 seats and comfortably survived the three-day debate during which the opposition grilled Yingluck on a 3.5 billion baht (£66m/US$108m) water management scheme and financially troubled government rice intervention scheme.

The protests' leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, has ruled out talks with the government or other parties. "No more negotiations," he told cheering crowds after thousands massed outside four Thai government ministries, a major state office complex and 31 provincial halls.

Waving multi-coloured flags, tooting on whistles and backing up traffic, the protesters have occupied the finance ministry since Monday but have failed to force their way into other ministries. Instead they gather at the gates, prompting evacuations.

Responding to the crisis, Thailand's central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates by a quarter point at its policy setting meeting on Wednesday.

The demonstrators, a motley collection aligned with Bangkok's royalist civilian and military elite, accuse Yingluck of being an illegitimate proxy for her billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister and populist hero of the rural poor who was ousted in a 2006 military coup.

Most of the 31 provinces where demonstrators have massed are in the south, a traditional stronghold of the opposition Democrat party, although four were in the north and north-east, where the Shinawatra family is hugely popular.

The aim of the rallies was to wipe out the "political machine of Thaksin", said Suthep, a former deputy prime minister under the military-backed government that was routed by Yingluck in a 2011 election.
Thailand has had eight years of on-off turmoil, from crippling street rallies to controversial judicial rulings and army intervention, each time with Thaksin at the centre of the tumult. The billionaire former telecommunications mogul fled into exile to dodge a jail sentence for abuse of power in 2008.

The anti-government campaign started in October after Yingluck's ruling party tried to pass an amnesty bill that critics said was designed to absolve Thaksin of his 2008 graft conviction.		Thailand has had eight years of on-off turmoil, from crippling street rallies to controversial judicial rulings and army intervention, each time with Thaksin at the centre of the tumult. The billionaire former telecommunications mogul fled into exile to dodge a jail sentence for abuse of power in 2008.

The anti-government campaign started in October after Yingluck's ruling party tried to pass an amnesty bill that critics said was designed to absolve Thaksin of his 2008 graft conviction.
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