Four to 5 men attacked a police officer when the officer was investigating voter fraud in a neighborhood within the central province of Ratchaburi. The former Member of Parliament (MP) to Ratchaburi from Palang Pracharath Party, Pareena “Ae” Kraikupt, defended the attackers.
The officer, identified as Jaruphat Khakaew, suffered neck and knee injuries and had his gun stolen through the incident. The attack occurred after the Provincial Special Operation Sub-Division (PSO) received a grievance from locals that a group of people in Pho Tha Rarm district were planning election fraud.
Four law enforcement officials were dispatched to analyze the complaint when they encountered a group of locals gathering suspiciously in a house. Upon identifying themselves, the group scattered, and the officers gave chase, resulting within the assault on Officer Khakaew.
The owner of the house filed a grievance towards the 4 law enforcement officials for breaking into his house, while officer Khakaew also filed a complaint towards his attackers. Former Member of Parliament (MP) Pareena “Ae” Kraikupt defended the attackers, claiming that the police officers had damaged into their house at night.
Pareena was on the scene and claimed she was attending a birthday party at the home. Officers from Khao Din Police Station are investigating the incident and will question both locals and law enforcement officials current at the scene. Videos taken by locals are anticipated to be essential proof in the case.
The incident is just one of several concerning points reported in the course of the election season. Running out concerned an image circulated on Thai social media showing a workers member gathering ID cards from people. The image led many to believe that a political party was paying locals to vote for them and seizing ID cards to forestall them from voting for different parties.
However, the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) investigated the picture and found no suspicious exercise. The image was from the Palang Pracharath Party, and every ID card was used for applying for celebration membership.
Sudarat Kateyuraphan, the leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party, additionally reported that many locals complained to her about vote shopping for, notably in Isaan provinces. She claimed that some parties paid 500 baht every, while others paid 1,000 baht. Sudarat said that this election had the most vote buying she had ever seen.
During the advance voter interval on May 7, the ECT faced criticism after officers at polling stations provided incorrect details on the ballots. The Secretary-General of the ECT, Sawaeng Boonmee, assured the basic public that the issue had been acknowledged and could be resolved. He promised that each ballot could be rechecked and counted transparently and that the problem wouldn’t happen again on election day, May 14..