According to a senior government official, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is weighing whether to hold government elections in October. This comes in the wake of escalated violence between anti-government protesters and Thai security forces.
Although an October election would be ahead of schedule, many Thai activists do not believe this would be early enough. This is largely due to the timing of Thailand’s yearly military revamp, which takes place in September. Accordingly, protesters are concerned about the military reshuffling occurring while the current government is still in power, and have called for elections to be held even earlier.
In Bangkok this weekend, there were at least 21 deaths related to protesters clashing with security forces, as well as hundreds more who were injured. The protesters – who support the former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra – show no signs of letting up.
Read more at WSJ.
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