Protest spokesman Akanat Promphan told The Associated Press that those who had locked the gates of polling stations had “acted on their own,” but he did not condemn them and said only that any decision to close stations was made by Election Commission officials.
The protesters' effort, however, appeared to have been widely coordinated. All across Bangkok, demonstrators waving the Thai flag physically blocked electoral officials, ballot boxes and voters from getting inside polling centers.
Authorities shut at least 48 of the city's 50 voting stations as a result.
In the south, at least 11 voting stations were also forced to shut, bringing the total number closed to 59 out of 152 nationwide, electoral officials said.
Scuffles broke out in some areas, and Bangkok's emergency medical center said at least one person was killed and 11 people wounded in one of the most serious confrontations near a polling station in southeast Bangkok.
The slain man was Sutin Tharatin, a protest faction leader who was shot in the head, according to Suriyasai Katasila, politician who was close to him.
The protesters are pushing for Yingluck's government to be replaced by a non-elected “people's council” that would implement anti-corruption reforms before a new vote can take place.
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