Thais vote in by-elections amid tightened security

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

PATTANI, Thailand (Reuters) – Thais voted in by-elections
on Sunday amid tight security in the restive Muslim south where
militants killed one man and clashed with security forces
before polls opened.

The 40 polls, mostly in southern strongholds of the
Democrat Party that led two other opposition parties to boycott
April 2 general elections, will leave some parliamentary seats
empty, meaning no quick end to a constitutional crisis that has
forced Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to cede day-to-day
power.

Fear and fatigue loomed large in the Malay-speaking south
where a two-year separatist insurgency has killed more than
1,100, despite declarations from the Buddhist-dominated
government in Bangkok that it is winning against the militants.

“There will be no violence like there was on April 19
because we have taken all preventive measures,” Acting Prime
Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya said in Bangkok on Friday,
referring to gun and bomb attacks during Senate elections last
week.

But early on Sunday before voting began, unknown gunmen
riding on a motorcycle killed one man and wounded a woman near
a polling station in the province of Narathiwat.

On Saturday night, militants blew up a bus shelter in the
province of Yala and clashed with police and soldiers. A
policeman was badly wounded in the head.

Last week five people were killed and 30 wounded in the
region comprising the three Muslim-dominated provinces of
Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani.

Among the dead were three election officials killed when
their truck carrying ballot boxes was blown up.

“Under these circumstances, I suppose you can’t call
anywhere in Narathiwat, Pattani or Yala a safe zone,”
Narathiwat election chief Prateep Wuttirattanakowit told
Reuters.

ARMED PATROLS

The government stepped up security after intelligence
reports suggested there would be more attacks on Sunday, and
double or triple the number of police and troops have been
deployed at 466 polling stations in Narathiwat alone.

Armed with M-16 rifles, police on trucks and soldiers in
Humvee armored vehicles and on motorcycles patrolled remote
highways and areas around polling stations in the region.

Some election volunteers feared the heavy security would
only draw attacks from militants targeting police and soldiers.

“You have a 50-50 chance of surviving a militant attack
when you travel alone, but your risk is greater with an escort
from police or troops,” said Ning, a village chief in
Narathiwat.

Even if violence does not disrupt voting in the
by-elections, a solution to the constitutional deadlock is not
imminent.

Around half the 40 seats at stake are contested only by
Prime Minister Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party
and a candidate has to get 20 percent of the eligible vote to
win in a region where the government is very unpopular.

Unless all its seats are filled, parliament cannot convene,
no new prime minister can be elected to replace Thaksin and no
new government can be formed. Thaksin has handed over
day-to-day power to Chidchai and says he will not seek the job.

The Election Commission says it might hold another round of
by-elections, possibly before the May 2 constitutional deadline
for parliament to meet within 30 days of a general election.

But some analysts say they cannot see unopposed TRT
candidates winning no matter how many by-elections are held in
the Muslim south where Thaksin’s government is accused of
failing to deal with separatist violence.

A large number of voters are expected to abstain.

“I will tick the ‘no vote’ box again because I don’t like
Thaksin and the way his government handles the Muslim south,”
said a Muslim man who owns a rubber wood factory in Narathiwat.

The violence has deterred campaign rallies while Thaksin’s
unpopularity has prompted TRT candidates to avoid using the
party logo. Election officials are expecting a low turnout for
the country’s third poll in a month.

“To be honest, people are tired of elections, both
organizers and voters,” said Padoongyot Duangmala, chairman of
the election committee in neighboring Pattani province.