Advance votings for overseas Thais begin

BANGKOK, January 13 (TNA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now organizing advance polls for Thai eligible voters living overseas, starting on January 13 for Thai nationals in Europe. Sek Wanamethee, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Information, told journalists of the moves on Monday, saying that the advance votings for overseas Thais will be continued until January 26. According to the senior official, a total of about 146,000 Thai eligible voters have registered for the advance elections in foreign countries they now stay, as the new general election in Thailand has been set on February 2, 2014. Meanwhile, the five-member Election Commission of Thailand (EC) has temporarily relocated their office to Chon Buri Province in the Thai East, as anti- government protesters have started their "Bangkok shutdown" mass demonstrations, including one in front of the EC head office, to pressure the caretaker government to resign and to push for a domestic political reform prior to the new general election.(TNA)