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Thailand election: Millions prepare to vote | Thailand election: Millions prepare to vote |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Millions of Thais are preparing to vote in a general election boycotted by the opposition and blighted by protests. | Millions of Thais are preparing to vote in a general election boycotted by the opposition and blighted by protests. |
Anti-government protesters say they will disrupt voting across Thailand and continue their campaign to force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to quit. | Anti-government protesters say they will disrupt voting across Thailand and continue their campaign to force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to quit. |
They took part in a 30-minute gun battle with government supporters in Bangkok on Saturday. | They took part in a 30-minute gun battle with government supporters in Bangkok on Saturday. |
Ms Yingluck, who won the last election in 2011, called the vote to head off mass protests that began in November. | Ms Yingluck, who won the last election in 2011, called the vote to head off mass protests that began in November. |
Her opponents took to the streets after her government tried to pass an amnesty law that would potentially have allowed her brother, Thaksin, to return from exile. | Her opponents took to the streets after her government tried to pass an amnesty law that would potentially have allowed her brother, Thaksin, to return from exile. |
Thaksin, a former prime minister who fled during a court case in 2008, is reviled by the protesters, who say he controls the government from abroad. | Thaksin, a former prime minister who fled during a court case in 2008, is reviled by the protesters, who say he controls the government from abroad. |
Security is heavy throughout Thailand, with vast areas under a state of emergency because of the protests. | Security is heavy throughout Thailand, with vast areas under a state of emergency because of the protests. |
Security officials said about 130,000 personnel would be deployed across Thailand on Sunday, including 12,000 in Bangkok. | Security officials said about 130,000 personnel would be deployed across Thailand on Sunday, including 12,000 in Bangkok. |
Polling stations open at 08:00 (01:00 GMT), but there has been little campaigning and it is unclear how many Thais will turn out. | Polling stations open at 08:00 (01:00 GMT), but there has been little campaigning and it is unclear how many Thais will turn out. |
Polling is likely to be severely disrupted in Bangkok and the south, strongholds of the opposition Democrat Party, which is boycotting the election. | Polling is likely to be severely disrupted in Bangkok and the south, strongholds of the opposition Democrat Party, which is boycotting the election. |
Ballot blockade | Ballot blockade |
Trouble broke out in Bangkok on Saturday when pro-government groups tried to access a building that was storing ballot papers. | Trouble broke out in Bangkok on Saturday when pro-government groups tried to access a building that was storing ballot papers. |
Anti-government protesters had blockaded the building, and opened fire with handguns and rifles, sending journalists and passers-by fleeing for cover. | Anti-government protesters had blockaded the building, and opened fire with handguns and rifles, sending journalists and passers-by fleeing for cover. |
Footage from the scene showed pro-government protesters nursing injuries, and anti-government protesters firing guns. | Footage from the scene showed pro-government protesters nursing injuries, and anti-government protesters firing guns. |
Correspondents say less unrest is expected in the rural north and east, because Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai party has such overwhelming support. | Correspondents say less unrest is expected in the rural north and east, because Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai party has such overwhelming support. |
The Democrat Party, which is allied to the protesters, has been unable to win a majority in parliament for more than two decades. | The Democrat Party, which is allied to the protesters, has been unable to win a majority in parliament for more than two decades. |
Many of their members want the government to be replaced by an unelected "people's council" that would oversee wide reform of the political system. | Many of their members want the government to be replaced by an unelected "people's council" that would oversee wide reform of the political system. |
Even if the election passes off peacefully, the result will almost certainly be challenged in the courts and could be annulled. | Even if the election passes off peacefully, the result will almost certainly be challenged in the courts and could be annulled. |
Ms Yingluck's party is already facing a host of legal challenges that could see it disbanded, as has happened with pro-Thaksin parties in the past. | Ms Yingluck's party is already facing a host of legal challenges that could see it disbanded, as has happened with pro-Thaksin parties in the past. |
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