Almost 3,000 police on standby as Bangkok prepares for advance voting on Sunday

As many as 2,997 police officers will be stationed at 1,475 polling stations in the metropolitan area to ensure the voting goes without a hitch from 8am to 5pm on Sunday, Pol Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek told the press on Saturday.

He said traffic police will also be stationed in areas where a large number of voters are expected to prevent congestion. These areas include Constituency 14 in Bang Kapi district (polling station Ramkhamhaeng University) where 52,771 voters have registered and Constituency 2 in Pathum Wan district (Siam Paragon shopping mall) where 40,750 voters have registered.

According to the Election Commission (EC), a total of 809,748 people have registered to vote in advance in metropolitan Bangkok. The capital has the highest number of constituency seats at 33 and the total number of eligible voters in the city adds up to 4,469,280.

Separately, Jirasan said MPB has received 28 complaints of election banners being vandalised in the capital. Of them, 10 cases have been ruled upon, while the remaining 18 are still being investigated.

He said election candidates and their supporters should strictly follow the law and democratic practises when campaigning for votes, and avoid using unlawful means to attack their opponents as there will also be repercussions.

Jirasan also warned that the public cannot buy, sell, distribute or consume alcohol in gatherings from Saturday 6pm to Sunday 6pm as it violates the election laws. Violators can face up to six months in prison and/or 10,000 baht in fines.