ECT eyes 42 provinces in heated campaigns, police deployed to prevent vote buying.

Khaosod•Politics•221d ago

Reader Briefing

Election Commission ramps up action in volatile provinces, deploys police to combat widespread vote buying and investigates unusual large cash withdrawals.

•The Election Commission (ECT) is closely monitoring 42 provinces experiencing intense election campaign competition.
•Half of the nation's police force is being mobilized to proactively deter and prevent vote buying.
•The ECT is investigating an unusual withdrawal of 250 million THB, identifying 6 bank customers with irregular transactions.
•The investigation into the large cash withdrawal will examine its potential connection to candidates or political parties.

Overview

•The Election Commission (ECT) is preparing for upcoming elections with heightened competition in many provinces.
•The ECT has divided areas into normal competition (35 provinces) and intense competition (42 provinces).
•Half of the nation's police force is deployed as a rapid response unit to prevent vote buying.
•On Jan 31, 2026, ECT Secretary-General Sa-nguan Boonmee revealed the election monitoring measures.
•Sa-nguan Boonmee stated that vote buying activities are expected to escalate from Feb 1.
•The Bank of Thailand has provided information on unusual cash withdrawals totaling 250 million THB on Jan 30.
•Six bank customers were identified as having made abnormal cash withdrawals, concerning the ECT.
•The findings regarding the abnormal cash withdrawals will be presented to the Election Commission on Feb 2, for further review.

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Key Quotes

Sa-nguan Boonmee

"The nature of vote buying is likely to start from February 1st, but there are no concrete reports yet."

ธรรมชาติของการซื้อสิทธิ์ขาย น่าจะเริ่มตั้งแต่วันที่ 1 ก.พ.เป็นต้นไป แต่ทุกวันนี้ยังไม่ได้มีรายงานที่เป็นรูปธรรม

Sa-nguan Boonmee

"There were 6 customers who made unusual cash withdrawals, so it was forwarded to the investigative team to look into the relationships with candidates or political parties."

มีลูกค้า 6 รายที่เบิกถอนเงินผิดปกติ จึงได้ส่งต่อให้งานด้านสืบสวนไปดูเรื่องความสัมพันธ์ว่า มีเกี่ยวข้องกับผู้สมัครหรือพรรคการเมืองอย่างไร

Key Entities

Organization

Election Commission of Thailand (ECT)(กกต.)ℹ️

The government body responsible for overseeing elections in Thailand.

Bank of Thailand (BOT)(ธนาคารแห่งประเทศไทย)ℹ️

The central bank of Thailand, which provided data on unusual cash withdrawals.

Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO)(สำนักงานป้องกันและปราบปรามการฟอกเงิน)ℹ️

The Thai government agency responsible for preventing and suppressing money laundering, collaborating with the ECT.

Person

Sa-nguan Boonmee(นายแสวง บุญมี)

Secretary-General of the Election Commission of Thailand, providing updates on election preparations and investigations.