Tight security in place to prevent any tampering of ballots, police assure

MONDAY, MAY 01, 2023
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Tight security in place to prevent any tampering of ballots, police assure

More than 1,400 police officers and border patrol officers, as well as 600 patrol wagons, are being deployed to safely deliver ballots for advance voting on Sunday (May 7) in the 2023 general election, deputy National Police chief Pol General Roy Inkapirote told a press conference on Monday.

Roy, who was recently appointed the head of the new administrative centre, which will operate until May 17, said the tight security was aimed at ensuring that the election was closely monitored and protected.

He ruled out any possibility of errors.

Two border patrol officers, fully armed and wearing bulletproof vests, would accompany the truck carrying ballots, with two patrol wagons at the back and front until the truck arrives at the election centre in each province, he explained.

Deputy National Police Chief Pol General Roy Deputy National Police Chief Pol General Roy

The Royal Thai Police is collaborating with the Election Commission (EC) and Thailand Post in making sure that all distribution and delivery trips for ballots go smoothly until the election is over.

Police officers will support security measures to secure the ballots both before and after the vote, Roy said.

Thailand Post's chief executive officer, Dhanant Subhadrabandhu, added that CCTVs are installed inside all trucks and are linked to the "Election Ballot Coordination Centre for the 2023 general election to the House of Representatives" at its headquarters.

This system can track transportation and investigate any irregularities 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Meanwhile, connected CCTV-enabled related parties, such as Thailand Post employees, police officers, and EC officers can track the truck using an application pod.

EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee

EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee said that the advanced voting ballot delivery process would be completed 2-3 days before the deadline.

He noted that more than 2.2 million Thais had registered to vote in advance. The majority of them live outside their hometowns and would be unable to vote on election day, while 18,879 live in the area but would be engaged on that day.

He said the EC wanted to assure all Thais of a fair and transparent election.

Rooge Thammongkol, director-general of Department of Consular Affairs Rooge Thammongkol, director-general of Department of Consular Affairs

Rooge Thammongkol, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of Consular Affairs, joined the press conference and announced that advance voting had already begun overseas.

Five ballots from Prague, Kathmandu, Los Angeles, and Kuwait had arrived safely in Thailand.

He expected all overseas ballots to arrive in the country by May 12.

However, due to the unrest in Sudan, all 250 Thais must return to Thailand. As a result, the Department of Consular Affairs will work with the EC to arrange for the group to vote in their respective hometowns.

Tight security in place to prevent any tampering of ballots, police assure

Dhanant also led a media group to the ballot sorting centre, which his organisation has specially set up to collect and sort overseas ballots before sending them to the counting booth of each voter's district.

He said the ballots would be opened and counted on the same day as the nationwide election.

Twenty-six CCTV cameras have been installed in the centre, allowing third parties to monitor from another room, and a face-scanning machine has been installed at the entrance. Only officers authorised by the EC are permitted to enter the ballot sorting centre, he explained.

Tight security in place to prevent any tampering of ballots, police assure

On Monday, the EC, Thailand Post, and the Royal Thai Police released a ballot truck convoy to demonstrate their readiness to hold the country's general election safely.

Thailand's general election in 2023 will take place on May 14. All political parties are now campaigning for votes across the country, making a variety of promises to improve voters' lives.

 

 

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