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<div><br />A proposal of six independent agencies for naming mediators to solve Thailand’s prolonged conflict on Tuesday has prompted a group of activists to protest the move, seen by many as controversial and partisan.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Nitirat, or Enlightened Jurists, a group of law academics from Thammasat University, Bangkok, on Sunday condemned the Election Commission (EC) for intentionally delaying the by-elections for the MPs, and pointed out how parliamentarians or citizens can remove Election Commissioners from office.&nbsp;</div> <div> </div>

<p>Two journalists, a Thai and an American, were injured while covering clashes between government supporters and opponents in the Bangkok suburb of Laksi on the eve of yesterday’s general elections.</p>

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<div>Thailand’s general election has ended with some trouble spots in Bangkok and the southern provinces, where anti-government protesters caused disruption. </div>

<p>Today’s Thai general election results are now looming, and with the Pheu Thai Party government positioned to secure a likely victory, anti-government protesters will be intent on finding more ways to delegitimise their nation’s political process. Over recent years, the Thai political system has been able to resist the pressure to concede much to the demands of the Bangkok protesters who still remain defiant.</p>

<p>OMG.&nbsp; I have only just realized.&nbsp; The insurrection on the streets, the slowly sinking economy, the political polarization that allows no dialogue … it’s all my fault.</p> <p>At first I thought that Suthep and his fellow demagogues were just doing the normal rabble-rousing, picking on the Cambodians as the bogeyman du jour.&nbsp;</p>

<div>There is widespread concern about the high potential for violence on the February 2 elections in Thailand, where a protracted political crisis has dragged on with no immediately foreseeable end as tension continues to mount.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The rising tension has kept many citizens from speaking out because of risks associated or the unwillingness to contribute to further polarization, as each side has invoked the name of the people for their respective ends.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>As this crisis has unfolded over the past three months, a number of opportunities have been w </div>

<div>In many countries, an expression of political will through voting, is seen as fulfilling civic duties, but here in Thailand, voters who fought obstructions and risk their safety to cast the ballots last Sunday were given different labels: “traitors”, “buffalos” and “the uneducated.”&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<div>Thailand’s Democrat Party decided to boycott the February 2 general election. This is not the first time that the party has boycotted general election. Why have the Democrats, the oldest political party in the kingdom, repeated their decision? Will the boycott lead to yet another coup d’état? Prachatai talked to Prajak Kogkirati, a political scientist from Thammasat University.</div> <div> </div>