Registration site targeted

Suthep Thaugsuban, secretary-general of the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), yesterday vowed to disrupt the February 2 general election, and began by mobilising protesters last night to blockade the Thai-Japanese Stadium to prevent party-list candidate registration, which is scheduled to begin there today and to end on Friday.
“If someone hopes to apply as an MP candidate, he or she will have to pass through our rally. We will block it [the stadium] for half a day, but on election day on February 2, we will block every location,” Suthep announced at the Rajdamnoen rally site at 6.50pm yesterday.
Even if candidate registration is completed, Suthep said he had other measures planned to prevent voting in the general election.
He said he expected the government and the Election Commission (EC) would defy the people by going ahead with the election.
“Today we shut down Bangkok for half a day. If [caretaker Prime Minister] Yingluck [Shinawatra] does not resign, there will be full-day or seven-day shutdowns in the future,” Suthep said.
He called for government officials to fight alongside the public, warning that the people would rise up to stage a “people’s revolution” if the officials ignored the people’s wishes.
After his speech, Suthep prostrated himself before the protesters. It was the first time he has done so.
Issara Somchai, a former Democrat MP and the leader of the PDRC’s protest at Victory Monument, said those gathered there would end their rally at midnight before marching in opposition to the February 2 election.
Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, the EC member in charge of organising the polls, said that although the agency had requested military protection, it was just for backup and there would not likely be a need to use force.
He said he did not approve any deployment of riot police at the Keelawes 2 Gym of the Thai-Japanese Stadium, which would be the venue for party-list MP candidacy registration on the first day today.
The EC had contacted regular police to be stationed at the site, he said, adding that the government should contact the EC if it was sending personnel to the venue.
The EC would have to hold a meeting if there was any development that would force a change of venue, he said.
Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said the EC should take strict legal action against Suthep if the protesters raid the venue and obstruct the MP candidacy registration process.
Yingluck told reporters covering her trip that it would be a shame if the Democrats boycotted the election, as political parties are supposed to protect democracy. Without an election, she could not figure out how political reform would be possible.
Yingluck said she had got positive feedback from other political parties on her proposal to establish a national reform council after the election. However, the government would only initiate the process.
“The statement yesterday was only the beginning. This idea doesn’t have to be implemented all. Only what is agreed on by all would be implemented. As the government, we will cooperate on all aspects,” she said.
Asked by reporters to make clear her decision on whether to run in the election, Yingluck said, “All of us have the duty to apply and run in the election.” When asked whether she would run as number 1 on Pheu Thai’s party list, she just smiled and ended the interview.