A total of 115,139 Thais registered for advance voting overseas for the general election from April 24-May 5, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
Kanchana Patarachoke, director-general of the MFA’s Department of Information, said on Friday the registration had been launched on March 25 and closed on April 9.
Thais can check their eligibility to vote via the Ministry of the Interior’s website, announcements from Consulates and Smart Vote and ThaiD mobile apps.
She said that advance voting methods, such as on-site polling booths or having the votes mailed by post, will be determined by consulates based on local conditions.
“All ballots are on the way to consulates in 88 countries. The MFA also utilises overseas voting monitoring system to monitor the transfer of these ballots to ensure they will be brought to the kingdom as scheduled,” Ms Kanchana said.
Given the current situation in Sudan, the Royal Thai Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, will help supervise the election and may decide to have voting mailed by post, she said.
Pheu Thai talks rail
Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra, a Pheu Thai Party prime ministerial candidate, on Friday said Pheu Thai would resume the high-speed railway plan initiated by the Yingluck Shinawatra government if it forms the government after the general election.
She made her remarks through video conference while canvassing in Ban Sa-ngiao in tambon Kuan Wan of Nong Khai’s Muang district, urging everyone to vote for Pheu Thai.
Srettha Thavisin, another Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate, said if Pheu Thai can form the post-election government, a dual-track railway will also be constructed from Khon Kaen to Udon Thani and then cross via a bridge to Laos in Nong Khai, which can help promote agricultural product trades of locals.
Mr Srettha also assured the transparency of Pheu Thai’s campaign-pledged 10,000-baht digital wallet policy that will be given to Thais over 16 years old to be spent within six months at shops within a 4-kilometre radius of where they live.
The party also pledged to support agricultural products in the attempt to boost the income of locals three times in four years, he added.
Boosting China, India trade
Thai Sang Thai Party (TST) leader Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan on Friday vowed to first seek to secure a trade deal with China and India, which she said will be the party’s priority in its economic development efforts.
“As soon as I become the government’s leader, I will seek to meet the Chinese president and the Indian prime minister and encourage them to work together with Thailand in the best interests of the three nations,” she said after a discussion with the Board of Trade of Thailand.
The TST also aims to work more closely with the private sector to ensure better access to funding sources for small- and medium-sized enterprises, with the help of a 300-billion-baht fund called Sang Thai Fund, said Khunying Sudarat, the party’s prime ministerial candidate.
Among other key measures, the TST proposes eliminating bureaucratic red tape in approving business operation permits seen as a key obstacle to many small and medium businesses, Khunying Sudarat said.
Thai Rice needs improving
The Chartthaipattana Party emphasised improving Thai rice varieties on Friday as it prepares to campaign this weekend in the northeast.
Prapat Potasuthon, the party’s secretary-general, said that the rank of Thai rice in the global market has dropped due to the lack of rice variety improvement.
This is an important issue that the Chartthaipattana Party aims to solve, he said.
“Our ‘Wow Thailand’ policy will distribute prominent rice varieties enough for 60 million rai of rice fields across the country as well as a production budget of 1,000 baht per rai,” said Mr Prapat.