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Published on December 16, 2007

The first of two days of absentee balloting yesterday drew early crowds of more than 1.4 million constituents nationwide.

See ANFREL's report of voting in Bang Sue and Bang Kwang

Those voting outside their constituencies numbered more than 893,000, accounting for 43 per cent of the total 2.09 million who registered to vote in advance.

Those who voted inside their constituencies numbered more than 570,000 nationwide.

Today is the second and final day for advance voting ahead of December 23.

Former junta-leader General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin was one of those who voted yesterday. At a poll booth in Lop Buri province, Sonthi was heckled by a man shouting: "I won't vote for a dictator, and I won't vote for you!"

Preecha Tangwattana, a lawyer, confronted the deputy prime minister in the morning at Sukhothai School in Lop Buri, where a polling booth had been set up.

"I hate all forms of dictators, including capitalist dictators like Thaksin, because I can't stand his dubious conduct and self-seeking ways," he said.

"But this doesn't excuse destroying Thaksin's regime by force. It should have been fought out democratically."

Plainclothes security officers muzzled Preecha's mouth with their hands, gave him threatening looks and tried to drag him away before Sonthi fled in a limousine.

Elsewhere the day went more smoothly, and Bangkok's Bang Kapi district was girding for an avalanche of advance voters with 89,602 registered, followed by 48,180 in Bang Khuntien district.

The high turnout is partly due to a new regulation that makes advance voting more flexible.

In Chatuchak district, traffic was congested with advance voters.

In the northeastern province of Khon Kaen, many soldiers and civilians showed up at polling stations at 8am with observers from 16 nations of the Asian Network for Free Election (Anfrel), an international poll watchdog, in attendance.

Tenzing Paljor, an Anfrel observer from India, said many voters were still confused about the new ballot design and voting process. He was worried that many papers would be spoilt.

In Kalasin, Nong Bua Lamphu and Loei about 1,000 troops from Siharaj-dechochai Camp came out to vote. Many civilians appeared to have been bussed to voting booths in the areas too, prompting Special Branch police and Election Commission officials to keep a close eye on them.

Interior Minister Teerawuth Butrsriphoom inspected the situation in Songkhla, where some 5,000 people came out to cast their ballots, forming long lines at some polling stations. Some had to wait until 11am before they could fulfil their civic duty.

Teerawuth said he was satisfied with the attendance but worried that some polling stations were too small.

Many soldiers and civilians in Narathiwat also come out to vote in advance, especially security officers who will be on duty on December 23.

In Chiang Mai several thousand voters answered the call of duty, causing traffic jams lasting for two hours around the municipal football stadium, which was turned into a polling station.

Manop Sakdaporn, chairman of the provincial EC, said this rush had also snarled the voting process and overwhelmed staff. Polling officials from nearby provinces had to be asked to come and help out. Some 20,000 people have registered for advance voting in the province.

However, the northern province with the highest registration was Mae Hong Son, where 33,300 were expected to show up by the end of today.

Scenes from voting on the first day of two-day absentee balloting