26/12/2013 17:20
Thailand protests: Yingluck government rejects election delay
Thailand's government has rejected calls to delay February's election, amid increasingly violent protests in which a policeman has been shot dead, the BBC reported.
The Electoral Commission urged the postponement over safety fears for candidates on the campaign trail.
But government officials said parliament was already dissolved so there was no legal reason for a delay.
The protesters want the government to stand down and be replaced by an unelected "people's council."
In a televised address, Deputy Prime Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana rejected the electoral commission's request.
"The Election Commission said holding elections will bring violence but the government believes delaying an election will cause more violence," he said.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra called the snap election, scheduled for 2 December, after weeks of protests.
The demonstrators dismissed the election, and the official opposition has refused to field candidates.
Protesters have further rejected another offer by Ms Yingluck to form a national reform council intended to run alongside her government.
Thursday has seen some of the most violent scenes since the latest wave of protests began.
A hardcore group, some throwing stones and evidently some who were armed, tried to break into the stadium where the electoral commission was registering candidates.
But police responded with tear gas, dispersing the crowd.
One police officer was shot dead, a nurse suffered gunshot wounds, and dozens of police and protesters were injured, some seriously.