Security To Be Heavy As Thai MP Hopefuls Register

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Security to be heavy as MP hopefuls register

By Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation

Traffic is expected to be heavy today around the Thai-Japan Youth Centre, Din Daeng, on the first day of party-list MP candidate registration.

Although the quota of people representing each party in the stadium's Keelawes 2 building is limited, the areas outside might be fully occupied with party supporters.

In the compound, the media, including television channels, have set up their platforms for live broadcasts.

The arrangement would be very similar to that of the 2007 election.

Hundreds of security officers will be deployed and bomb detectors will be used.

Up to 10 representatives from each party, including party leaders, will be allowed up to the first floor of Kilawase 2 Stadium.

Meanwhile, up to 100 supporters for each party will be allowed to go to stands on the second floor. The rest must wait outside the building.

Vehicles are not allowed to enter the youth centre, except those of VIPs and some staff.

The total number of party-list MP seats in Parliament is 125, meaning each party can field up to 125 candidates in its list.

The popular votes a party gains will be calculated into the number of party-list MP seats it wins.

Eight groups of about 20 staff have been prepared to check the documents of the candidate applicants. An election commission director, who asked not to be named, said from the second day of the party-list candidate registration, the staff would be reduced to one or two groups.

The party-list candidate registration is open from today until Monday (May 23), then the constituency MP candidate registration will be from Tuesday to Saturday (May 28).

Lot drawing will be done to identify the number representing each of the parties that come before the official time, 8.30am. Election Commission chairman Apichart Sukhagganond will first draw the party names one by one to set the order for each party's representative to draw a number.

Applicants coming after 8.30am would be allowed to register according to the order of time of their arrival.

Pol Colonel Wicharnwat Borirakkul, deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Division 1, said 400 police officers will be deployed - including two companies of riot police, 40 traffic police, 30 detectives in uniform and plainclothes, and 30 commandos.

-- The Nation 2011-05-19

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