After a crowd of people from Chonburi gathered at the square in front of Mueang District Office, opposite the gymnasium in Bang Plasoi Subdistrict, Mueang District, Chonburi, to demand that the Chonburi Election Commission recount the votes for Constituency 1, concerns arose when ballot boxes were found stored insecurely, without cable ties securing them or officials' signatures sealing them, violating Election Commission regulations.
When asked, officials responded that they had run out of cable ties, prompting calls for a recount to alleviate public concerns about the transparency of the vote counting. However, negotiations were unsuccessful as the district chief and the director of the Chonburi Election Commission insisted they could not authorize a recount. This led the Deputy Secretary-General of the Election Commission to personally arrive to negotiate a resolution. During these talks, reports emerged that ballot count sheets from polling station 15 at Wat Klang Don Kindergarten were found discarded in a trash bin, along with cable ties that officials had previously claimed were unavailable.
In addition to the hundreds of citizens protesting, multiple media outlets were present to cover the event, including the famous couple—actor Mean Peerawit and YouTuber Dream Apichaya. Mean Peerawit Attachitsathaporn and YouTuber Dream Apichaya Panitchakul joined as observers and to encourage the citizens before opening up to Thairath TV news team about their presence.
According to Dream Apichaya, “I’ve been here since earlier, and I feel like nothing has been resolved yet—it’s still unclear. So, I came to show support. Initially, I intended to bring water packs to distribute to the people here. When I arrived, the situation remained unresolved with no one managing it. I stayed until now. The crowd is large, and I feel it’s a positive energy; everyone is fighting for what’s right, and I just want it to be done properly, as it should be.”
When asked what message she had for the Election Commission officials, Dream said, “Honestly, at this point, it’s too late for many constituencies because, as we’ve seen in the news, some areas have caught irregularities. But here, we feel legally a recount is possible, so we just want the recount to happen.”
Meanwhile, Mean Peerawit said, “I don’t focus on who wins or loses, but I want to see clarity in the vote counting. I believe everyone can accept the results once they see the exact vote counts. But I also believe that every citizen who went out to vote, who woke up early, took time off work or made sacrifices to cast their single vote, that one vote matters. So, I want to see transparency and clarity.”
Click to readmore entertainment newshere