Anti-government protesters try to block election sign-up in Bangkok

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http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/bangkok-protesters-try-block-election-sign

Anti-government protesters determined to unseat Thailand’s Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, surrounded a sports stadium in Bangkok yesterday.

The attempted blockade by the tens of thousands of protesters yesterday comes after the main opposition Democrat Party said over the weekend it will boycott the February 2 election, which polls indicate Ms Yingluck’s ruling party would likely win.

The conflict has also hit the currency in South-east Asia’s second-biggest economy. The baht fell to a low of 32.71 to the dollar, its weakest level since March 2010, according to Thomson Reuters data. The political concerns also sent Thai stocks to a 15-week low at the break, down 1.2 per cent to 1,326.67 points.

Officials from Ms Yingluck’s party and eight others managed to sign up for the election by slipping into the stadium in the middle of the night, despite the presence of some protesters who had camped out overnight, the state Election Commission said.