|
Large numbers of anti-government protesters began to surround polling stations in some districts of Bangkok and southern provinces early Sunday, in an attempt to oppose the scheduled advance voting for the Feb 2 national election. EC secretary-general Puchong Nutrawong said Sunday morning that the advance voting in the North and the Northeast, except Surin, had been carried out. In the South, the advance polling could be held in some provinces including Songkhla, Pangnga and some stations in Nakhon Si Thammarat. He said the advance election could also been carried out in most of provinces in the Central region and in the East, except in Samut Songkram and Bangkok where the EC received reports that 18 districts out of 50, had called off the advance election. Suthep Thaugsuban, secretary-general of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), called Saturday night for supporters to gather at 5am to prepare to move to close election stations in Bangkok’s districts. As of 8am, election officials in several districts of Bangkok were unable to enter the polling stations, which were set up at locations such as schools, department stores and district offices. Protesters used chain to lock the entrances of some polling stations, such as Ban Bang Kapi School which is used as a polling unit for some 80,000 people who had registered for advance voting. PDRC protesters moved quickly from one polling station to another on learning that polling units in other districts were still open. | 
