Vote buys ‘rampant’ in Bangkok

People get into cubicles to cast their votes in a polling unit set up inside Ban Bang Kapi School in Bang Kapi district, Bangkok. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)
People get into cubicles to cast their votes in a polling unit set up inside Ban Bang Kapi School in Bang Kapi district, Bangkok. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)

Most of the vote-buying reports received by the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday were reported in Bangkok, which has the most constituencies out of all provinces, the poll body said.

However, the number of poll-related violations was lower than in past polls, it said.

EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee said the commission received 163 complaints on Sunday, 58 of which were about vote-buying, 55 about fraud, while 17 were about abuse of power by state officials supervising the polls.

Incidents of vote-buying were reported across many regions, though the majority were reported in Bangkok, he said.

According to national police chief, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, over 150,000 officers were deployed to maintain peace and order across 94,737 polling stations across the country.

In the past 2-3 days, at least three people have been charged over vote-buying. Police officers are also investigating vandalism of campaign banners, he said.

Deputy national police chief and head of the Royal Thai Police’s election administrative centre, Pol Gen Roy Inkapairoj, said most complaints received by the centre were about the destruction of campaign banners.

According to Pol Lt Gen Nithithorn Chintakanon, the centre’s spokesman, over 1,000 candidates’ banners were vandalised during the campaign period.

On Saturday night, there was a spike in vote-buying complaints in Kanchanaburi, while in Ayutthaya, local police have enough evidence to charge several individuals on vote-buying charges.

Meanwhile, former politician and whistleblower Chuvit Kamolvisit said that in Ayutthaya, Chon Buri, Pathum Thani, Songkhla and Yala, at least 100 people handed out 500 baht each to local villagers to buy their votes. It is unclear what kind of evidence he has to back his claims.