Troops guard southern voters

Published on February 6, 2005

Numerous southern Thai voters took army trucks to cast their ballot and the troops patrolled the streets in restive provinces Sunday as voters headed to polling stations in the general election.

Voters in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla provinces, where more than 500 people have died in one year by Islamic separatists, trickled in to polling stations under the watch of some thousand special police to ensure smooth voting.

In the first hours of voting no violence was reported, as heavily-armed security forces patrolled the streets and armed guards watched over polling stations.

The Nation's forecast held February 04, 2005 showed that Thai Rak Thai would win 9 of 54 constituencies and Democrat 45.

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