Thais vote despite opposition protests, blockades

Thailand voted today under heavy security in violence-plagued snap polls boycotted by the opposition, which forced cancellation of voting in 45 constituencies across the deeply polarised country.
Despite anti-government protesters blocking voting at several places, officials said the exercise was relatively peaceful and 89.2 per cent of polling stations operated normally. Election Commission chairman Supachai Phucharoen said voting was reported from 83,813 of 93,532 stations.
Unfazed by months of street protests aimed at forcing her to scrap the polls, beleaguered premier Yingluck Shinawatra was among the early voters. She cast her ballot in front of the media and TV channels said protesters were not present.

At least nine persons were wounded on the eve of the disputed polls as explosions and gunshots rang out in Bangkok's Lak Si area when clashes erupted between pro-government "red shirts" and opposition activists.
The counting began immediately after the voting ended at 3 pm (0130 IST), but the Election Commission (EC) said the results would not be announced immediately. The EC has scheduled a further voting for February 23 after protesters disrupted advance voting last Sunday.
Ballots in some southern areas are unlikely to happen for weeks, fuelling speculation that the election might push the country deeper into political turmoil.

Officials said protesters disrupted polling in 127 of 375 constituencies nationwide, including 13 of Bangkok's 33 constituencies. Polling could not be held in at least three constituencies Bangkok, including Lak Si.

In southern Thailand, a stronghold of the opposition Democrat Party, voting was cancelled in nine of 14 provinces, while 37 of 56 constituencies suffered disruption.
Some six million registered voters were affected by the closures, the EC said.
Polling in the northern and northeastern regions - the ruling Pheu Thai Party's strongholds - was unaffected, and 122 out of 127 polling stations opened in the central and eastern provinces, officials said.

Leader of the anti-government People's Democratic Reforms Committee (PDRC), Suthep Thaugsuban, threatened to take legal action against Yingluck for wasting taxpayers' money on polls.
"There were only 16 to 17 people at some stations, especially those in the southern provinces of Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Krabi, Phuket, Songkhla, Satun, Yala and Pattani," he said.