Students demand recount at Thanyaburi campus over vote-count doubts

At 9pm on Sunday (February 8), tensions rose after polls closed at Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, as large groups of students and members of the public gathered to protest the work of the Office of Election Commission of Pathum Thani Province, alleging suspicious behaviour during the counting of advance voting and referendum ballots.

The unrest took place at the university’s auditorium, where ballot boxes were being collected and advance votes counted. Students—many of them out-of-constituency voters studying at the university—attempted to observe the counting process as they are entitled to do, but were denied entry by officials. 

Anger intensified after reports that staff had covered all CCTV cameras inside the auditorium used for monitoring the vote count with black cloth, prompting students to question the transparency of the process and the office’s intentions.

Amid chants demanding justice, the deputy director of the Office of Election Commission of Pathum Thani Province went to speak with student representatives. The students demanded a full recount, conducted openly in front of the public and the media, to confirm that no ballots had been switched and that no votes had been manipulated.

However, talks failed to reach a resolution, with officials citing operational regulations.

As protesters continued to hold their position, one student said they had registered to vote in advance at the university because they wanted to see change—but when it came time to count the votes, “everything was hidden”, even the cameras being covered. “How can we trust the results like this?” the student asked.

To prevent the situation from escalating, police from Khlong Ha and Thanyaburi stations were deployed to maintain order around the auditorium. Officers set up barriers to stop the situation from spreading, focusing on monitoring and preventing clashes between protesters and officials.