THAI LEADER REJECTS ELECTION CALL

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has rejected calls by the country's military chief to stand down.

Army leader Gen Anupong Paochinda had asked him to call snap elections to end months of political deadlock.

But Mr Somchai said his government was legitimate and that he would continue to work for the country.
The call came after anti-government protesters occupied Bangkok's main airport and forced its closure, a move the Mr Somchai called illegal.

"I reassure the people that this government, which is legitimate and came from elections, will keep functioning until the end," Mr Somchai said in a televised address.
"My position is not important. But democratic values are," he said, speaking from the northern city of Chiang Mai.
He returned from a foreign trip earlier in the day but was unable to land in Bangkok because of the airport blockade.
'No coup'

Thai court has ordered the protesters - who belong to the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) - to leave Suvarnabhumi airport.
But the protesters say they will stay until the government resigns, and have brought in food and blankets.
All flights have been cancelled and thousands of Thais and foreign tourists are stranded in the Thai capital.
Thailand has been in a state of political stalemate since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
Fresh elections at the end of 2007 failed to resolve the crisis, when a party made up of former allies of Mr Thaksin returned to power.
Gen Anupong's call for polls earlier in the day heightened speculation that a military coup could be imminent.
But the army chief denied that was his plan, saying the government still had "full authority".