Bangkok, Feb 1 – Thais are set to go to the polls tomorrow but that is not likely to end the political chaos facing the country now.
Instead, it is set to add more uncertainties as the protesters have vowed to continue their protest campaign.
Protest group leader Suthep Thaugsuban has insisted the protesters would not return home if national reforms did not take place – despite the pro-government group insisting that voting will take place tomorrow, come what may.
Suthep believed that tomorrow’s election result would be declared invalid as the constitutional process had been breached.
He called on the international community to understand the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) intention, which was not opposed to the election but wanted certain reforms to take place before a general election was held.
He said this in a speech before leading a slow march into the Bangkok Chinatown area this morning, to wish Happy Chinese New Year to the Thai Chinese community, and to shore up support for the group before the general election tomorrow.
Welcoming Suthep to the Chinatown area was a crowd of several thousand supporters, some of whom could be seen thrusting baht banknotes into his hand to fund the cost of his campaign to remove the caretaker government and bring reform to the country.
Chinnaworn Boonyakiet, another leader of the PDRC, told Bernama during the demonstration that today was the day for the Thai people to participate in a democratic system to use their right to march.
“Today’s march is the real democratic participation of the Thais,” he said.
The PDRC leaders will naturally, not vote in tomorrow’s election.
Meanwhile, Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s predecessor, former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva posted on his official Facebook page that he would not vote in the election tomorrow as he claimed it was unconstitutional.
However, there are people who are determined to exercise their right to vote, and last night they launched a candle-lit campaign in Bangkok and other places.
– Bernama
