BANGKOK, Feb. 27 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Wednesday warned the United States not to "step over the line" after it criticized a Thai government order to expel two foreign journalists who wrote a critical article, news agencies reported.

Shinawatra also said he was intent on expelling the two journalists of the Far Eastern Economic Review magazine. But their lawyer said he was confident a compromise would be reached, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

The Thai government has faced a storm of criticism against its move to deport Bangkok-based journalists Rodney Tasker and Shawn Crispin over a January 10 Review article which touched on government relations with the monarchy.

The article claimed there were tensions between Thaksin and King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the constitutional monarch who is held in high esteem among Thais.

The Thai media and people almost never make controversial statements about the king, according to the British daily newspaper, The Independent.

Tasker and Crispin have lodged an appeal against deportation orders served at the weekend, after they were named Friday, February 22, on an immigration blacklist for allegedly posing a threat to national security.

Asked by reporters for his reaction to the U.S. criticism, Shinawatra said Thailand was a sovereign nation that could act as it saw fit.

The premier insisted he would not give in to the pressure, led by the U.S. State Department which said Monday, February 25, it was concerned over the threats against the staff of the Hong Kong-based news magazine.

"Don't pay any attention [to the U.S. comments],” Shinawatra told reporters. “I will not easily accept this as it is detrimental to the country and interferes with our sovereignty. I will not give up."

Shinawatra said he "warned" U.S. Ambassador Darryl Johnson – during a meeting Monday - "to act in an appropriate manner and don't step over the line."

“This is our own affair. Every country has its own problems and when they [the U.S.] take action, there are no complaints, it is just kept quiet. But when others do, a problem arises,” he said. “This should not happen.”

Police accuse the journalists of threatening "national security" and have asked the reporters to reveal their sources for the story.

On Wednesday, about 100 university students demonstrated outside the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand in Bangkok, demanding foreign journalists respect Thailand's monarchy, reported The Independent.

Shinawatra insisted that Thailand had acted with tolerance over the matter and that journalists who "loved" Thailand were still welcome to work here.

“If they come to destroy [Thailand], then regardless of their race or nationality we will consider them persona non grata.”

Asked about the official reaction to a letter sent by the Review's editor Michael Vatikiotis to Police Chief Sant Sarutanond Tuesday, February 26, he said: "I believe it is a good sign".

In the letter, the Review expressed regret for "this unpleasant incident and all the heated publicity it has generated", but stopped short of issuing the apology the government has demanded.

However, the Review's lawyer David Lyman said efforts were being made to "find a Thai solution" to the impasse.

"This is a tempest in a teapot. It will die down as the next big event happens," he said.

"Oh, sure," he replied, when asked whether he believed the pair would eventually be allowed to stay in Thailand.

Crispin, a 33-year-old U.S. citizen, and Tasker, a 56-year-old Briton, appeared at the Immigration Bureau Wednesday where their passports were seized, and they were granted a 30-day stay while their appeal is considered.

In a statement delivered in fluent Thai, and then in English, Crispin said the pair had developed strong links during their years in the country.

“We love Thailand. We've become a part of Thailand. We understand Thai culture, we understand Thai customs. We respect, we love the king, no less than the Thai people,” he said.

The January 10 article, headlined "A Right Royal Headache", referred to King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday speech in December 2001 in which he sharply criticized the prime minister and said Thailand was in "crisis".