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 The protesters, members of the People's Democratic Reform
Committee (PDRC), had said they would disrupt the ballot as part of
their campaign to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, but
their leader appeared to backtrack.
The government's decision to press ahead with the election has
inflamed tension in the capital, Bangkok, where the protesters have
blockaded main intersections and forced many ministries to close
their doors this month.
"In addition to the 5,000 soldiers we have already deployed in and
around Bangkok to help monitor security, we will be increasing
troops around protest sites as there are people trying to instigate
violence," army spokesman Winthai Suvaree told Reuters.
About 10,000 police would be responsible for Bangkok security on
Sunday and the troops would be on standby.
Labour Minister Chalerm Yoombamrung, in charge of a state of
emergency imposed last week, urged the protesters not to disrupt the
vote.
"If the PDRC do that, people will beat each other to a pulp and
nobody can control a situation like that," he told reporters. "The
police and soldiers don't have enough manpower to take care of
(security) at every polling station."
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban said people should not waste time
voting but appeared to drop earlier plans to try to obstruct
polling.
"Those who want to vote should go and vote," he told supporters as
the sun set. "We won't block you from voting otherwise you'll turn
around and say we violated your rights."
Demonstrators took to the streets in November in the latest round of
an eight-year conflict that pits Bangkok's middle class, southern
Thais and the royalist establishment against the mostly poor, rural
supporters of Yingluck and her brother, former premier Thaksin
Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
The protesters accuse Yingluck of being a puppet of former telecoms
tycoon Thaksin, a man they say is a corrupt crony capitalist who
disrespected the monarchy and bought elections over the past decade
with costly populist giveaways.
Thaksin, who denies that, went into self-exile in 2008, shortly
before he was sentenced to jail on graft charges he says were
politically motivated.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Ten people have died and at least 577 have been wounded in
politically related violence since November 30 according to the
Erawan Medical Center, which monitors Bangkok hospitals.
A protest leader was killed and about a dozen people were injured in
a clash near a polling station during advance voting on Sunday. The
protesters prevented early voting in many parts of the capital and
the south.
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The violence is the worst since 2010 when Suthep, at the time a
deputy prime minister, sent in troops to end demonstrations by
pro-Thaksin activists.
Suthep faces murder charges related to his role in that crackdown,
when more than 90 people were killed, and for insurrection in
leading the latest protests which are also taking their toll on
Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.
Consumer confidence fell for the ninth month in December, hitting a
two-year low and the central bank said last week the economy may
grow only 3 percent this year rather than the 4 percent it had
forecast.
Tourist arrivals have been hit in the peak season and huge
infrastructure projects have been put on hold.
Toyota Motor Corp, one of Thailand's biggest foreign investors, said
it hoped for a quick solution to the political crisis.
"The region is like the Detroit of Asia and many makers are
exporting from there too," Toyota President Akio Toyoda told
reporters. "We hope that the situation will be resolved as soon as
possible so that the global impact will be limited."
Thailand is the region's biggest car-making hub.
Suthep led a march in the capital under a blazing tropical sun on
Thursday, the start of a three-day push to demonstrate opposition to
the vote and rustle up support for its cause.
He wants political reforms before an election is held, with the aim
of eradicating the influence of Thaksin and his family. They have
not said how they would do this.
Shop and office workers cheered on the marchers, numbering between
2,000 and 3,000 according to a Reuters estimate, offering food,
drinks and money.
Yingluck's Puea Thai Party is expected to win the election
comfortably with the main opposition Democrat Party boycotting the
vote.
However, not enough candidates have been able to register to provide
a quorum for parliament to elect a new government after the
election. By-elections will have to be held to fill the vacant
seats, which could leave the country without a properly functioning
government for months.
(Additional reporting by Yoko Kubota in Tokyo;
editing by Alan Raybould, Nick Macfie and Robert Birsel)
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