DPM:More than 50 countries support Thailand's new general election

BANGKOK, December 29 (TNA) - Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul says 53 countries and two international organisations have supported Thailand's new general election on February 2, 2014 as earlier scheduled. Speaking in his address broadcast live nationwide on Sunday, Surapong told the public that those allied countries have praised Thailand for organising the new general election beneficial to the Kingdom. Touching on the disruption of constituency candidates registrations in eight southern Thai provinces due to blockages by anti-government protesters, Surapong stressed that all the five election commissioners are duty-bound to speed up resolving the problem. The caretaker deputy prime minister noted that the Ministry of Defence has agreed to assist by dispatching its personnel and necessary equipment to enable the forthcoming general election. In response to recent news reports that all the five election commissioners planned to quit their posts, ruling Pheu Thai Party Spokesman Prompong Nopparit opined, meanwhile, that all the five election commissioners have their full rights to resign, but it would be illegal if they intended to neglect their duty with the legal punishment set at a one-year imprisonment each plus fine, insisting that the five-member EC must take full responsibility for the society if there was any “chaos” in the country after their resignations. (TNA)