Thai polling official arrested after allegedly trying to add fake ballots, claims party paid her

Polling official in Thailand claims they were paid to add fake ballots during election

A polling official in Thailand has been arrested after she was caught allegedly attempting to add fake ballots during the recent election.

She later claimed she had been paid by a political party to carry out the act.

According to reports by Khaosod English, the official was stopped before she could successfully place the fraudulent ballots into the box.

Caught impersonating seven voters during lunch break

The incident reportedly took place at around 12pm on 8 Feb, during the lunch break on election day.

The official allegedly impersonated seven individuals and filled out ballot papers in their names.

She was caught by the presiding officer just as she was about to insert the ballots into the ballot box.

An official police report was subsequently filed at Mueang Phayao Police Station.

The woman admitted to the act and claimed she had been paid by a political party to subvert the election process.

Police seized an envelope containing cash from her as evidence. However, reports did not state which political party was allegedly involved or how much money was inside the envelope.

Other alleged election irregularities spark outrage

The case has added to growing concerns over other alleged election irregularities.

At a polling station in Pathum Thani, citizens were outraged after spotting garbage bags covering security cameras while ballots were being counted.

Authorities later said the cameras had been switched off and covered to protect voter privacy. However, they were reportedly not turned back on when counting began.

Tensions escalated as observers demanded transparency and called for a recount.

Officials initially ushered some observers out as the situation grew heated. A recount was eventually granted.

The revised results reportedly shifted from a victory for the Bhumjaithai Party to an overwhelming win for the People’s Party.

Officials said the change was due to absentee ballots being included in the recount.

Politicians call for probe into alleged fraud

Rukchanok Srinork, a prominent member of the People’s Party, stated on Facebook that there had been “massive election fraud”. Her post garnered more than 272,000 likes after it was published on 10 Feb.

The party’s leader, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, also raised concerns.

While he said he was prepared to accept defeat if necessary, he stressed that all possible irregularities must be investigated thoroughly.

The People’s Party has since called on the public to submit tip-offs as part of efforts to scrutinise the election process.