Over the last two days, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's prime minister, has given conflicting signals about how he intends to resolve a political impasse now threatening to evolve into a full-blown constitutional crisis.

After hinting on Wednesday that he might be willing to stand down from office temporarily to defuse the tangled situation, Mr Thaksin yesterday insisted he would not capitulate to the tens of thousands of people, mainly middle-class Bangkok residents, who have taken to the streets to demand his resignation.