Thailand faces difficulties holding general election
Puchong said
that the EC has invoked Article 20 of the Election Act to ask for help
from Government agencies by sending their staff to serve as election
officials.
The commission is also facing another problem finding voting venues, he added.
Regarding the election in Bangkok where there will be about 6,000
polling stations , Puchong said the EC will seek help from the
municipal administration, the Education Ministry and the armed forces.
Earlier on Jan. 15, participants at a special forum
organised by the government agreed to hold the elections on February 2
as schedule. Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said at the
forum that an election is the best way to solve the current political
crisis.
Meanwhile, on January 16 and the fourth day
of demonstrators’ “Bangkok Shutdown” campaign, anti-government protest
leader Suthep Thaugsuban announced that they will blockade all State
agencies still operating by the end of this week.
The campaign is scheduled to last for 20 days, with the aim to stop the upcoming general election.
Since the anti-government demonstration wave broke out in Thailand
on October 31, eight people have been killed and many others injured.
In another related development, Deputy Prime Minister
Surapong Tovichakchaikul said he had asked the police to quickly arrest
Suthep and his aides to prevent the country from falling into anarchy.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the opposition
Democratic Party (DP) said the party will not join in the government’s
efforts to seek solutions to the political crisis unless the culprit of
the bombing of DP President Abhisit Vejjajiva’s residence is arrested.-VNA