BANGKOK, Jan 30 (AFP): Tens of thousands of police will be deployed across Thailand on Sunday for an election seen as a crucial test of the kingdom's fragile democracy, with opposition protesters threatening to lay siege to polling stations.
Experts warn the vote is unlikely to end a long-running cycle of political violence or mollify opponents of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who fear the polls will only prolong her billionaire family's hold on power.
At least 10 people have been killed and hundreds injured in clashes, grenade attacks and drive-by shootings since mass opposition rallies against her government began three months ago.
"Thailand seems to be in a perpetual state of conflict right now and I don't see any end in sight," said Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch.
The elite-backed opposition Democrat Party-which has not won an elected majority in around two decades-is boycotting the vote, tilting the odds toward another victory by Yingluck's party but reinforcing questions about whether the new parliament will have enough members to sit.
Protesters, who have occupied key intersections of Bangkok, are demanding Yingluck's elected government step down to make way for an unelected "people's council" that would oversee loosely defined reforms to tackle corruption and alleged vote-buying.
Yingluck's opponents say she is a puppet for her elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a controversial former prime minister who was ousted by the military in 2006 and lives in Dubai to avoid a prison term for graft.
The protests were initially triggered by a failed amnesty bill that could have allowed Thaksin to return without going to jail.
Fifty-three parties are taking part in Sunday's election, hoping to fill the void left by the Democrats, although there has been little sign of campaigning in the capital apart from a few defaced election posters.
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, an opposition heavyweight, has urged supporters to do their utmost to prevent the polls taking place, raising fears of further violence.
His bold threat comes despite a 60-day state of emergency imposed in the capital and surrounding areas that gives authorities extra security powers.
Even if voters manage to cast their ballots, election officials warn that the poll result may not be known for months because of problems caused by the protests.
