The Thai government said on Friday it will ask the military to help protect candidates and voters in a February election after clashes between police and anti-government protesters in which two people were killed and scores wounded.
The call for help from the powerful but heavily politicized military demonstrates Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s determination to ensure the election goes ahead. The vote is almost certain to return her Puea Thai Party to power.
Her government on Thursday rebuffed a request by the Election Commission to delay the February 2 vote until there was “mutual consent” from all sides – an increasingly unlikely outcome after Thursday’s deadly clashes at an election registration venue.
Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul on Friday said he would ask military chiefs for help securing candidate registrations on Saturday.
“We will also discuss together how to take care of safety for the people who will come to vote on February 2,” Surapong said in a televised announcement.
The military has remained neutral in the latest turmoil, apart from offering to act as a mediator, even though protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a fiery former deputy premier, has sought to drag the military into the conflict, onto the anti-government side.
The military has staged or attempted 18 coups over the past 80 years – including the ousting of Thaksin in 2006 – and it is again likely to play a crucial role in the latest round of a crisis that has dragged on for eight years.