10,000 police officers mobilized for Sunday election

Police guard Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Bureau last month. Photo: Zanyasan Tanantpapat

With protesters vowing to stop voters from reaching polls Sunday, authorities announced today that 10,000 police officers will be fielded to keep voting centers open.

Although the caretaker government has reaffirmed its commitment to not using force, the police mission will be to prevent protesters from shutting down the vote as they did throughout the capital this past Sunday’s early voting.

The police will be deployed at the request of civic authorities at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, according to Chalerm Yubamrung, the labor minister who recently assumed command of the government’s crisis response agency.

Officers will receive their orders from an assistant police chief, Lt. Gen. Jakthip Chaichinda.

Chalerm went on to encourage the public to vote, threaten two unidentified corporations he said are supporting the protests and ask the media not to talk about the protests, Bangkok Post reported.



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on