Nearly 150,000 Thais overseas seek to exercise voting right

BANGKOK, January 6 (TNA) - Some 143,800 Thai people have their names registered with Thai embassies and consulates-general overseas to cast their votes on the new general election date, set on February 2, 2014. Thailand's Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul told the public of the update during his address broadcast live nationwide on Monday, noting that they are among 1,039,032 Thai eligible voters living overseas. Surapong, who is also chief of the government-run Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO), said that the Thai people who plan to cast votes include 14,985 in the United States, 10,356 in Singapore, 5,239 in Britain and 8,886 in Germany, acknowledging that their registrations showed Thai people living overseas understand democracy and want the February 2 general election to be a solution to ongoing domestic political strife. The caretaker deputy prime minister stated that the world community recognizes democratic processes, blaming the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) for using non-democratic means, creating disturbances and causing national damage by obstructing the registrations of election candidates and planning to lay siege to Bangkok from January 13, 2014 onwards. Regarding the PDRC's plan to block intersections in Bangkok and cut power and water supplies at important government offices and even the residence of Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on January 13, Caretaker Justice Minister Chaikasem Nitisiri pointed out, meanwhile, that the planned movements of the PDRC, led by Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister of the Democrat Party, violate security, criminal, traffic, advertisement control and public health laws, as well as individuals' rights. According to the caretaker justice minister, Suthep faces an arrest warrant for treason and other offences and people who join his demonstrations will be considered committing or supporting treason and will be liable to 20-year imprisonment. Besides, demonstrators could be in danger in possible third-party attacks. The caretaker justice minister revealed that the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is seeking a court approval of arrest warrants against 18 PDRC leaders, including Suthep, as they have ignored summons to acknowledge their charges.(TNA)