Officials told to stop vote if protesters besiege venue

[Lite Beer]

Officials told to stop vote if protesters besiege venue
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Officials and volunteers manning polling stations have been advised to stop the voting process and evacuate themselves if protesters besiege the venues during today's advance voting.

Election Commission (EC) secretary-general Puchong Nutrawong said staff at the election units would be authorised to closely monitor and evaluate the situation.

And they would be able to announce a halt to the voting process if they found the election units blocked or there was serious obstruction in transportation. The central EC would consider holding another advance voting within seven days.

Puchong also said the EC had issued a statement warning the authorities who announced or would announce the orders under the emergency decree to be careful not to violate the Constitution by causing advantages or disadvantages to the election candidates.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) also has advised its officials at central polling stations to vacate the places in case of unrest or riot there, according to Ninnart Chalitanont, the BMA's permanent secretary. She said that it was part of the security measures for officials involved in organising the advance voting today and the election scheduled for February 2.

Advance voting today at Bangkok's 50 districts will be held mostly at district offices.

'Be prepared'

Ninnart said the officials involved were instructed to get vehicles ready for immediate movement of important equipment and documents relating to voting out of the polling stations, when a blockade by protesters becomes imminent.

In case such a movement of equipment and documents is unlikely, the officials involved should leave the polling stations immediately for their safety. She said that the safety of the officials involved should be regarded as the top priority.

Advance voting will open from 8am to 3pm at 50 designated locations around the city. Ninnart said that eligible voters who are unable to exercise their voting right today during the advance voting session may do so on the election date later, at the polling stations where their names are registered.

In Bangkok, the election venues expected to be blockaded by the protesters include district offices in Pathum Wan, Ratchathewi, Chatuchak and Din Daeng as well as Sukhothai School in Dusit district, which is near the protest site of Students and People's Network for Thailand’s Reform.

Privy Council president General Prem Tinsulanonda is expected to cast his ballot in advance voting today at Sukhothai School in the Dusit district of Bangkok.

-- The Nation 2014-01-26

[Nowhereman60]

So isn't there police and army personnel at the voting sites? EC is doing everything it can to avoid doing it's job. They should be charged with dereliction of duty if the vote does not continue.

[noitom]

They should have an area so many meters away from the polling place. If anyone enters the voters only area to protest they will be arrested. Soon the UN will seek to descend on Thailand to monitor elections. Thailand is a disgrace.

[Thai at Heart]

So let's advertise exactly how someone might go about closing a polling station shall we...

[thesetat2013]

Sounds like the EC is telling YL <deleted>> you, since she wont agree to cancel elections then the EC will make it easy for the people to do it

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Patje]

And the comedy continues !!!

[nickynomates]

One big comedy of errors

Lets hope no one gets hurt.

i just cannot see the end in sight on this its gone on far too long.

If and when they do make these pre voting null and void it will seem as a big win then its all going to ramp up.

[householder]

Some photos show police standing around doing nothing at all to stop the blockading.

Look up failed state and Thailand now most certainly seems to meet most of the defining qualities.

[ricku]

According to tweeter Richard Barrow, pretty much all of the big polling stations in BKK are blocked. Same in the south.

Interesting.

[LuckyLew]

Was pretty easy to predict the advance polling stations would be blocked, just as easy to predict the police would stand by and watch

[Ajaan]

Interesting how--so far, anyway--the usually very vocal pro-Suthep TV cabal are remaining silent on this. Maybe it's finally dawning on them just how blatantly anti-democracy Suthep and his followers are. Blocking people who want to vote from entering a polling place is pretty low and despicable.

[ricku]

Was pretty easy to predict the advance polling stations would be blocked, just as easy to predict the police would stand by and watch

Not for long! There might actually be a new exchange of flowers and bottled water later today.

[householder]

Whether one supports Suthep, Shinclan, or neither, I'm struggling to see how the country as a whole benefits in any way from what is going on right now?

Edited January 26, 2014 by householder

[ricku]

The news feed is kinda slow today, so allow me to bring some.

Sunai ‏@sunaibkk

PDRC protesters, led by Thavorn Senneam, arrived at Bang Kapi polling station. EC officials were barred access (6am). #Thailand

Sunai ‏@sunaibkk

PDRC protesters locked gate of Dusit polling station at Sukhothai School (where Gen Prem will vote) & chased EC officials away #Thailand

Sunai ‏@sunaibkk

More than 80,000 voters registered for advanced voting at Bang Kapi polling station are disenfranchised due to obstruction by PDRC. SHAME!

Sunai ‏@sunaibkk

PDRC protesters blocking access to Saphan Sung polling station. Voters can't enter.

Sunai ‏@sunaibkk

Jatujak polling station at St John College is surrounded by PDRC protesters. Voters can't enter.

Sunai ‏@sunaibkk

Polling stations for advance voting in BKK's Bang Kapi, Bang Khen, Jatujak & Dusit districts are blocked by PDRC. (7.30am)

Sunai ‏@sunaibkk

EC officials at Klong Toey polling station announced voting is canceled due to obstruction by PDRC protesters. (7.35am)

And the list goes on and on.

Edited January 26, 2014 by ricku

[soi41]

According to tweeter Richard Barrow, pretty much all of the big polling stations in BKK are blocked. Same in the south.

Interesting.

So the fact, that Thailand is collapsing around you, is entertainment??

[householder]

So we appear right now to have:

a. An anti-government protest group - on the instructions of whoever - determined to disenfranchise voters regardless of preference or support, by blocking voting stations in support of a laudable yet rather nebulous cause

b. An Election Commission desperate to avoid doing its job and in some cases not even turning up to the polling stations - EDIT: and has just unhelpfully advised that voting can be delayed for a week, which negates the point of an advance poll in the first place!

c. Security forces unable or unwilling to protect the voting sites and voters to ensure the voting takes place

d. A lame duck government ostensibly run outside of Thailand anyway, that declared a useless and seemingly premature State of Emergency, didn't bother to meet the EC in advance to sort their positions out - thus advance voting is going ahead for a poll that is almost certainly going to be postponed to a date not yet known and therefore makes the whole exercise today pointless, a huge waste of money and embarrassment for all concerned (after all, subsequent events may influence voter opinion yet those voters will be bound by today's ballot cast) - and employs fierce rhetoric against its perceived opponents with absolutely zero action and really doesn't seem to care about ensuring that voters who do bother to turn up can vote.

The average non-politically active Thai citizen (beyond casting a vote), therefore, appears to be the one screwed most by this staggering confluence of arrogance, ineptitude and weakness by all sides involved - absolutely nobody on any side seems to give a dam_n about them, from what I can see.

These parties have all perhaps unwittingly worked very very hard (even in making sure they don't do any work at all) to make Thailand a laughing stock.

I really don't care about the politics whatsoever, but feel sorry for the Thai citizens getting the net result of all this.

Edited January 26, 2014 by householder

[ricku]

According to tweeter Richard Barrow, pretty much all of the big polling stations in BKK are blocked. Same in the south.

Interesting.

So the fact, that Thailand is collapsing around you, is entertainment??

Well kinda.

I used to root for this country in the past. I thought that Thailand would eventually straighten itself out like South Korea did in the eighties. BUT then I realized that this whole dam_n place is hopelessly packed with clueless morons.

So yeah, kinda funny to watch this.

Edited January 26, 2014 by ricku

[Sunderland]

Whilst I don't agree with much of what Suthep stands for, I have to agree that it's time for reform and the boys in brown would be the first in need of reform from top to bottom. What a useless set of individuals they are in general. Good for nothing except collecting money at the roadside, waving their arms and blowing whistles ... not so different from Suthep and his friends' daily marches to be honest.

[Sunderland]

According to tweeter Richard Barrow, pretty much all of the big polling stations in BKK are blocked. Same in the south.

Interesting.

So the fact, that Thailand is collapsing around you, is entertainment??

Well kinda.

I used to root for this country in the past. I thought that Thailand will eventually straighten itself out like South Korea did back in the eighties. BUT then I realized that this whole dam_n place is hopelessly packed with complete morons.

So yeah, kinda funny to watch this.

Absolutely, all the daft people, daft actions, daft decisions, daft situations, etc. which you come to accept as fairly normal when you have been here long enough are now on full display for everyone inside and outside to see. And while it all looks dysfunctional and is too hard to grasp for international media, the majority of locals take it in their stride and continue with life as normal, barely blinking at the chaos.

[whybother]

According to tweeter Richard Barrow, pretty much all of the big polling stations in BKK are blocked. Same in the south.

Interesting.

So the fact, that Thailand is collapsing around you, is entertainment??

How does "interesting" equal "entertainment"?

[soi41]

Interesting how--so far, anyway--the usually very vocal pro-Suthep TV cabal are remaining silent on this. Maybe it's finally dawning on them just how blatantly anti-democracy Suthep and his followers are. Blocking people who want to vote from entering a polling place is pretty low and despicable.

They are meeting in their war-room discussing who to intimidate next!

Moslems Check

Schoolchildren Check

Cultural workers Check

Voters Check

Average citizens Check

Motorists Check

Who is next on the list for this undemocratic movement??

[soi41]

According to tweeter Richard Barrow, pretty much all of the big polling stations in BKK are blocked. Same in the south.

Interesting.

So the fact, that Thailand is collapsing around you, is entertainment??

Well kinda.

I used to root for this country in the past. I thought that Thailand would eventually straighten itself out like South Korea did in the eighties. BUT then I realized that this whole dam_n place is hopelessly packed with clueless morons.

So yeah, kinda funny to watch this.

Fair enough!!

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[englishoak]

Anyone else get the feeling the EC isnt exactly trying too hard to stay open either. Banana and som tam repubilc

[BlueNoseCodger]

They having to bus protestor groups from one polling station to the next, leaving only a tiny skelton guard behind. The voters are having a go at those few guards.

Once they get a polling station closed, they drive the mob onto the next polling station. So EC is trying to get the polling stations to remain closed even once the mob has been moved on.

It's all very much a sham election if you won't open polling when there are no protestors.

[aimbc]

I haven't heard any report that voters were blocked. But it seems like the election officials just face some difficulty with getting to the polling site. And in a democracy, everyone is allowed to exercise their rights to protest. And EC also recognizes the law too...and everyone needs to do the same and stop trying to be "cyber pseudo lawyers".

[chrisrazz]

Showing Thais and the world how undemocratic the 'protest' and it's backers really are. Another PR loss for the 'protest'.

[pipkins]

They having to bus protestor groups from one polling station to the next, leaving only a tiny skelton guard behind. The voters are having a go at those few guards.

Once they get a polling station closed, they drive the mob onto the next polling station. So EC is trying to get the polling stations to remain closed even once the mob has been moved on.

It's all very much a sham election if you won't open polling when there are no protestors.

there are reports of voters trying to get the stations open and they have confronted the fascists and even run them off in a few places.

Now, there is a stand off with voters and EC. Voters want it open and are getting very angry. All on TV, plenty of press watching.

Big PR disaster again for Suthep. This is total proof of a power grab and uneducated mobs.

Maybe the fightback started today. Police will back the voters if they turn on PDRC,... and then you see.. it is a popular uprising against PDRC backed by the law.

The voters really giving them hell and am sure it was not in the script.

Voters got the mob ran off here and voting is back on. Will PDRC regroup and come back for violence? Only if they think they have the numbers.... cowards.

[Spalpeen]

The anti democracy gang have gone strangely silent today. On Feb 2nd there will be 40 million people going to the polls. Suthep and his thugs won't stop that.

[whybother]

The anti democracy gang have gone strangely silent today. On Feb 2nd there will be 40 million people going to the polls. Suthep and his thugs won't stop that.

IF (and that is a HUGE IF) the elections continue next week, how legitimate will the result be with so many people being stopped from voting today?