Yingluck Shinawatra to be caretaker PM till 2 February polls

Yingluck Shinawatra, who has been selected as the prime ministerial candidate of her Pheu Thai Party in the general election scheduled for 2 February, will continue as caretaker prime minister in the interim, news reports said on Tuesday.

Shinawatra, who dissolved Parliament on Monday in the face of mass demonstrations against her government, urged protesters to cool down and be fair to her. She said she wouldn't resign until a fresh government was chosen after February's snap elections.

In an emotional appeal, she entreated protesters to show some "fairness" to her and wait for the "electoral system to choose who will become the next government".

Speaking during the weekly cabinet meeting at the Thai Army club, she said, ''We are fellow Thais. Why do we have to hurt one another? I have retreated so far and I don't know where to retreat further. Do you want me to not even set foot on Thai soil?"

Shinawatra is the younger sister of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who still wields political influence in the country.

The election is slated for 2 February 2014 and the head of state King Bhumibol Adulyadej has endorsed the dissolution of parliament and the conduct of elections on 2 February.

The opposition, however, is not content with the house dissolution and calling of fresh elections and is seeking political reforms and handing over of power to an unelected group, the ''people's council'' and ''people's government'' to implement reforms aimed at ridding the political system of corruption.

Suthep Thaugsuban, who led a protest march of more than 100,000 people on Government House on Monday, vowed to continue the fight until it ''uproots the Thaksin regime.''

The opposition is gunning for the prime minister's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who escaped a two-year jail term for abuse of power by managing to live abroad since 2008.

Thaksin, who was the prime minister of Thailand during 2001-06 before being ousted in a coup, is still regarded as the de facto leader of Yingluck's party.