By Nopporn Wong-Anan
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A small bomb exploded in a centralBangkok police booth on Monday as a stand-off between the ThaiPrime Minister and protesters occupying his office entered itsseventh day with no sign of either side backing down.
The blast, shortly after 1 a.m. (7 p.m. British time onSunday), shattered nearby windows but caused no injuries.
Police blamed it on agitators trying to depict them asincapable of maintaining order in the face of a three-monthdrive to oust the elected government.
"They want to show that the government and the police aretoo weak to protect the people," national police spokesmanSurapol Thuanthong told Reuters. "It is something we expectedwould have happened."
The bomb detonated shortly after the end of a jointparliament session initiated by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravejto seek a way out of the turmoil that has raised fears ofbloodshed and damage to already stuttering economic growth.
Samak rejected opposition calls to quit or hold a snapelection.
Tensions peaked on Friday when police fired teargas andrubber bullets to repel 2,000 protesters trying to stormBangkok police headquarters. Protesters also shut down threeregional airports, all of which have since reopened.
Samak has said repeatedly that he would never bow to thedemands of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), andwarned in his weekly radio address on Sunday that his patiencewas wearing out.
"I am not afraid, but I am concerned about chaos in thenation," he said. "We cannot let the seizure of GovernmentHouse continue indefinitely without taking action."
With no immediate end to the political impasse in sight,nervous investors pushed the stock market down nearly 1
percent in morning trade. Thai shares have fallen more than23 percent since the protests began in May.
MORE STRIKES
The PAD, a motley group of businessmen, academics andactivists whose campaign against former Prime Minister ThaksinShinawatra led to his overthrow in a 2006 coup, accuses Samakof being an illegitimate proxy of Thaksin.
The PAD also proclaims itself to be a defender of the kingagainst a supposed Thaksin plan to turn Thailand into arepublic.
Both accusations are denied by Samak and Thaksin, whoskipped bail on graft charges and fled to London last month.
The PAD campaign against Samak, now in its 100th day, hassucked in support from a variety of state unions, leading todisruptions to rail and port services. On Monday, SirichaiMaingam, union leader at state power producer EGAT, urgedback-room staff to take a holiday but said production workerswould carry on as normal.
"We are not going to hurt the people as our strike aim isto slow down the government's work," Sirichai said.
Union leaders at Bangkok state utilities are threatening tocut water and power supplies to government offices andbuildings if the authorities use force against the PAD.
"Their first priorities are agencies that were involved inbeating up the people," Sawit Kaewvan, head of an umbrellagroup of state labour unions, told Reuters.
The unions are meeting later on Monday to decide how tointensify their campaign against the government.
(Reporting by Chalathip Thirasoonthrakul; Writing byNopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Alan Raybould and David Fox)
