Registrations of constituency candidates in Thai South

SOUTHERN REGION, THAILAND, December 29 (TNA) - Registrations of constituency candidates in the Thai South contesting in the country's new general election, set on February 2, 2014, remained disrupted for the second consecutive day on Sunday. Election Commission of Thailand (EC) Secretary-General Puchong Nutrawong told journalists of the updated situation on Sunday, acknowledging that the disruption was seen after anti-government protesters, again, surrounded registrations venues and EC officials and election candidates could not, thus, enter the sites in eight southern Thai provinces, including Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Phatthalung, Chumphon, Trang, Songkhla, Phuket and Krabi. Pressured by the protesters of the arch anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), led in Bangkok by Suthep Thaugsuban, a former southern MP and a former deputy prime minister of the Democrat Party, whose stronghold is in the southern Thai region, provincial EC officials in all constituencies of Songkhla, Krabi, Trang and Chumphon have tendered their resignations. However, the situation in Yala Province in the Thai far South had improved, as election candidates could now apply for all the three constituencies in the province. Meanwhile, Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, Spokesman of the Democrat Party, which has boycotted the February 2 general election, urged Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to find ways to postpone the February 2 national poll, reasoning that the registrations of constituency candidates could not be conducted in several provinces. Chavanond revealed that his party's members will confer with several organisations on January 2-3, 2014 before unveiling its “road map for Thailand” on January 7, aimed at pushing for a national reform. According to the spokesman, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva will, himself, present the “road map” in details, which is belived to have an answer for the Thai society in ending the ongoing domestic political strife.(TNA)