Bangkok, Dec 26 – The police today fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons at thousands of protesters attempting to disrupt the registration process for Thailand’s upcoming general election on Feb 2 next year.
Many protesters, grouped under the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), were injured in the confrontation at the registration centre at the Thai-Japanese Stadium in Dindaeng. Three policemen were also injured.
As at 11.20 am, the situation worsened and police reinforcements were sent to the area.
The demonstrators had come to the stadium as early as 7 am, mainly from their main rally site at the Democracy Monument in Ratchadumnoen Avenue.
They have come to the stadium everyday since Monday, coming in the morning and dispersing in the evening.
The registration process, which began on Monday, will end tomorrow. Today is the draw of ballots for the positions of the parties on the ballot papers.
The draw of numbers for party-list candidates started at 8.30 am, and the Pheu Thai Party of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is No. 15 on the ballot paper of the party-list candidates. Chart Pattana, the former government coalition party, was at the top and the Phum Jai Thai Party (former opposition party) was sixth.
Thirty political parties are in the draw for the party-list candidates. Three parties have withdrawn and one had problems with the document. The main opposition party, the Democrat Party, is boycotting the election.
Meanwhile, another group of PDRC protesters were said to be marching to Yingluck’s house to pressure her to resign as the caretaker prime minister.
However, she is not at home as she is in Chiangmai in the northern part of the country, which is the stronghold of her party and that of her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
– Bernama
