3,000 police deployed to maintain order
Advance voting will take place today for more than 800,000 people registered for early voting in Bangkok, with almost 3,000 security officers deployed to maintain order.
Pol Maj Gen Jirasant Kaewsaeng-ek, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), yesterday said security measures are in place for today’s voting.
A total of 1,421 polling stations have been arranged for 809,748 people registered for advance voting outside their constituencies, with 1,550 officers on security duty.
Another 54 polling stations have also been set up for 4,329 people registered for advance voting in their own constituencies, with 62 security officers deployed, Pol Maj Gen Jirasant said.
He said rapid response teams, officers assigned to investigate election law violations, and traffic police have also been put on duty, taking the total number of officers on standby for advance voting in Bangkok to 2,997.
Pol Maj Gen Jirasant said patrols have been stepped up to prevent vote-buying as well as the vandalism of campaign posters.
He added that on Thursday and Friday, police cracked down on crime, ahead of the advance voting today and election day on May 14.
A total of 231 wanted suspects were apprehended, while 88 were arrested on computer crime charges, he said.
Twenty-eight unlicenced firearms, 31 licensed firearms, 2,437 ammunition rounds, 25,740 methamphetamine pills and 196.14 grammes of crystal meth were also confiscated, he said.
Alcohol sales are banned nationwide until 6pm today, he said, adding betting on the outcome of the polls is also prohibited.
Pol Maj Gen Chokchai Ngamwong, another MPB deputy commissioner, said traffic congestion is expected around some polling stations where large numbers of people have registered for advance voting.
Ramkhamhaeng University will serve as a polling station for 52,771 people for the 14th constituency in Bang Kapi district, he said.
A total of 40,750 people have also registered for advance voting for the second constituency in Pathumwan district at a polling station at the Siam Paragon shopping mall.
For the sixth constituency in Din Daeng district, 25,383 people have registered for advance voting at the Thai-Japan Bangkok Youth Centre, Pol Maj Gen Chokchai said.
According to the Election Commission, 2,350,969 people have registered for early voting nationwide. There are 52,287,045 eligible voters in this poll.